Fruitful Prospects: investigating the metabolic benefits of Chaenomeles japonica, Cornus mas, and Hippophaë rhamnoides extracts in Caenorhabditis elegans

Secondary metabolites of Chaenomeles japonica (CJ), Cornus mas (CM), and Hipopphaë rhamnoides (HR) fruits have been proposed as hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic agents in vitro [ 1 ]. To further investigate their health-promoting potential, this study evaluated the effects of standardized aqueous (CJ, HR) and 70% hydroethanolic (CM) extracts on survival (N2 wild-type), fat accumulation (SS104), and β-amyloid-induced proteotoxicity (CL4176) in the Caenorhabditis elegans model [ 2 ]. The presence of isorhamnetin glycosides, procyanidins B1 and B2, epicatechin, loganic acid, and cornuside in the respective extracts was confirmed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-TQMS, Xevo TQ Absolute). Previously, only HR-derived products or total HR flavonoid fractions have been reported to affect hyperglycemia and delay paralysis in C. ele gans [ 3 ] [ 4 ]. Survival assays demonstrated good extract tolerability up to 200 μg/mL. Both CJ and CM slightly improved worm survival across all tested concentrations, with 200 μg/mL CM significantly enhancing survival by 23% compared to the vehicle control. CM at this concentration also significantly increased fat accumulation, while HR showed a slight fat-reducing effect. None of the extracts influenced β-amyloid toxicity in the CL4176 strain. These findings indicate that the tested extracts may possess greater therapeutic potential in the context of metabolic disorders than for neuroprotective conditions, in contrast to previous in vitro indications. Acknowledgements This project was financially supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant no. 2023/51/B/NZ9/00305). Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany