The effect of acute exposure to caffeine on locomotion, neurochemistry, and related gene expression in C.elegans

Abstract

The current research aims to study the effect of acute exposure to different concentrations of caffeine on locomotion (Distance, Speed, Mobility rate) and neurochemistry in Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) (a free-living nematode), as well as study the gene expression of the UNC-63 gene, as the UNC-63 represents the acetylcholine gene in the C.elegans. This research discusses the effects of acute exposure to caffeine according to concentration, where three concentrations 10mM,15mM, 30mM were used. The results obtained in this study using a low concentration of 10mM of caffeine. where the distance reached (1893.13± 282.38), speed (7.46 ± 4.67) and the mobility rate (36.85 ±6.45), while the level of gene expression was (3.333 ± 0.10). Also, acute exposure to caffeine when using moderate concentration of 15mM of caffeine showed a distance (4929.9 ± 1531.71), speed (9.12 ± 2.07) and the mobility rate (38.01 ±8.04), while the level of gene expression was (1.38 ± 0.10). In addition, acute exposure showed by using a high concentration of 30mM of caffeine a distance (3039.48 ±1302.30), speed (5.06 ±1.09) and the mobility rate (22.08 ± 8.38), while the level of gene expression was (3.19 ± 0.19). The study concluded that acute exposure to caffeine may leave behavioral effects dependent on concentration, in addition to that the level of the molecular effects of the drug may be contrasting with effects on the level of behavior at the same concentration, this may be due to enzymatic reasons that may increase the ability of the gene to accept larger amounts of the drug. Generally, it seems that C.elegans could be used as a pre-clinical in vivo model for detecting the effects of exposure to drugs and assessing the neuropharmacological, behavioural and molecular changes that associated with drug exposure. In addition, for future studies, it could be suggested to use C. elegans as a model to assess the effect of chronic exposure to drugs; and to develop a pharmacological protocol for controlling and treating some common diseases in society such as addiction and neurodegenerative disease.