The Effects of Coffee Fruit Extract and Its Bioactive Components on Fat Metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans

Juan Daniel Amado Amariles

Co-Presenters: Manashri Tendulkar

College: Hennings College of Science Mathematics and Technology

Major: BS.BIO/CELL/MOLEC

Faculty Research Mentor: Pereira, Renalison Farias  

Abstract:

Coffee fruit dry extract (CFE) is a standardized powdered extract derived from the whole Coffea arabica fruit, containing approximately 40% phenolic acids, such as chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeic acid (CA), and gallic acid (GA). These natural compounds are known for their role in lipid metabolism, with potential health benefits or therapeutic applications. Obesity, a major public health challenge, is characterized by excess fat accumulation and unbalanced lipid metabolism, making the study of natural compounds with lipid-modulating properties highly relevant. This study aims to analyze the influence of CFE and its bioactive components on fat accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans, a widely used genetic model for investigating metabolic processes and pathways. L1-stage nematodes were treated for two days at 20 °C with 0.03–0.06% CFE, CGA, CA, GA, or 0.4% DMSO (vehicle control). The coffee fruit extract reduced fat accumulation, likely due to gallic acid or its combination with other phenolic acids. Since the treatments did not impact the growth rate of nematodes, the reduction in fat was not due to decreased growth. In fact, 0.03% CGA increased the nematode length by 61 μm, while 0.06% GA reduced length by only 40 μm. RNA sequencing was performed on CFE-treated nematodes and compared to the control. CFE significantly regulated 75 genes, 67 of which were upregulated and 8 were downregulated compared to the control. The differentially expressed genes were clustered into gene ontology (GO) terms. The most significant GO terms were chitin biosynthetic process and the negative regulation of endopeptidase activity. Among the genes regulated by CFE were chs-2, gmeb-2, mlt-10, nas-6, nas-14, nep-1, phg-1, and pqn-67. These genes are associated with the nematode’s pharyngeal pumping and pharynx development, which may be linked to food intake. Altogether, this study suggests that CFE and some of its bioactive components, such as GA, regulate fat storage likely by modulating food intake in C. elegans. These findings offer potential applications for obesity-related metabolic research.