Vitamin B12 is an essential cofactor involved in the function of two enzymes: cytosolic methionine synthase and mitochondrial methylmalonic-CoA mutase. In our previous studies, caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine), the most popular bioactivator, was shown to reduce yolk protein (vitellogenin) and fertility in a Caenorhabditis elegans model. Based on the previous finding that methionine supplementation increases vitellogenesis in C. elegans, we investigated the role of vitamin B12 in methionine-mediated vitellogenesis during oogenesis in caffeine-ingested animals (CIA). Vitamin B12 supplementation improved vitellogenesis and reduced oxidative stress by decreasing mitochondrial function in CIA. Furthermore, the decreased number of developing oocytes and high levels of reactive oxygen species in oocytes from CIA were recovered with vitamin B12 supplementation through a reduction in mitochondrial stress, which increased vitellogenesis. Taken together, vitamin B12 supplementation can reverse the negative effects of caffeine intake by enhancing methionine-mediated vitellogenesis and oocyte development by reducing mitochondrial stress.
Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; caffeine; mitochondria; oogenesis; vitamin B12; yolk protein.