Impacts of Green Tea Polyphenols on Drosophila melanogaster Development and Reproduction
Julia C. Barbour
Mentor: Mahtab Jafari
Green tea has been shown to increase the life span of the male fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster while reducing
its fertility. The goal of this project was to determine if green tea polyphenols (GTPs) have detrimental effects
on the reproductive organs of male fruit flies by examining their morphology after exposure. I fed the flies
green tea, then removed their reproductive tracts and stained them with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole
dihydrochloride hydrate (DAPI) for visualization using a fluorescence microscope. The flies were exposed to
GTPs throughout their development from embryos to adult flies. The reproductive organs appear to be
mildly affected; however, many of the flies did not make it to adulthood because the higher doses of GTPs
proved to be toxic. Upon discovering delayed development and larval mortality in the higher dose groups, my
focus shifted to the impaired growth. The life cycle was monitored to determine when most of the flies were
dying and if the flies that made it to the adult stage showed any impairments. My findings suggest that
consumption of high doses of GTPs slows fly growth and results in less robust adult flies. The reproductive
impacts are still being investigated.