Tea polyphenols ameliorate fat storage induced by high-fat diet in Drosophila melanogaster

• Tea polyphenols have a fat accumulation-suppressing effect in Drosophila.
• Dietary theaflavin ameliorates high-fat diet-induced hydroperoxidase accumulation.
• The novel tea polyphenol epitheaflagallin strongly suppresses lipid accumulation.
• The beneficial effects of tea polyphenols can be enhanced by altering composition.

BackgroundPolyphenols in tea are considered beneficial to human health. However, many such claims of their bioactivity still require in vitro and in vivo evidence.ResultsUsing Drosophila melanogaster as a model multicellular organism, we assess the fat accumulation-suppressing effects of theaflavin (TF), a tea polyphenol; epitheaflagallin (ETG), which has an unknown function; and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), a prominent component of green tea. Dietary TF reduced the malondialdehyde accumulation related to a high-fat diet in adult flies. Other physiological and genetic responses induced by the high-fat diet, such as lipid accumulation in the fat body and expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, were ameliorated by the addition of TF, ETG, and EGCg, in some cases approaching respective levels without high-fat diet exposure. Continuous ingestion of the three polyphenols resulted in a shortened lifespan.ConclusionWe provide evidence in Drosophila that tea polyphenols have a fat accumulation-suppressing effect that has received recent attention. We also suggest that tea polyphenols can provide different desirable biological activities depending on their composition and the presence or absence of other chemical components.