Coffee Extends Yeast Chronological Lifespan through Antioxidant Properties

Abstract

Aging is a multifactorial process accompanied by loss of cell function. Science has been looking for factors responsible for aging for many years. However, despite identifying a number of possible causes, the definite reason for aging has been elusive so far. One of the factors contributing to aging is oxygen free radicals. In this context, beneficial effects of coffee on various organisms, including humans, were investigated, although the results are far from unequivocal. In our research, we used the budding yeast—something of a workhorse in many studies, including the studies of aging. So far, the impact of coffee on the aging of cells in the budding yeast experimental setup has little known about it. Here, we provide strong evidence that coffee compounds, particularly flavonoids, are responsible for scavenging free radicals and longevity in yeast lacking Sod1, Sod2 and Rad52 proteins. In this paper, we compared Arabica and Robusta coffee types. We present an analysis of the concentration of caffeine and flavonoids measured by the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography method. We show that Robusta has a much greater antioxidant capacity than Arabica. We also conclude that coffee infusions significantly extend the chronological lifespan of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells by protecting cells against reactive oxygen species, double DNA-strand break and decrease in metabolic activity.