Journal of Food Biochemistry最新文献

This study aimed to evaluate the bioaccessibility, stability to brush border peptidases, bioavailability, intestinal safety, and bioactivity of low molecular weight (LMW)-milk protein hydrolysate on intestinal Caco-2 and STC-1 cellular models. Milk proteins were first subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion, and the resulting peptide mixture was analyzed for intestinal absorption using differentiated human Caco-2 cells. Using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), 82 peptides from casein and 16 peptides from β-lactoglobulin were identified as bioaccessible and stable, with some peptides already known to circulate in human plasma. Notably, 47% of apical peptides successfully crossed the epithelial barrier to the basolateral side. Importantly, the peptide mixtures preserved the intestinal monolayer integrity as shown by unchanged transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) values at 5 mg/mL and demonstrated the intestinal safety through the absence of cytotoxicity in 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) viability experiment in differentiated Caco-2 cells. Moreover, the bioactivity of the LMW-milk protein hydrolysate was assessed through in vitro and cell-based assays. Antioxidant potential was assessed using the 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, revealing a strong radical scavenging effect (up to 72.6%) and a FRAP increase of 3864% at 2.5 mg/mL. In addition, LMW hydrolysate significantly inhibited dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activity by 70.1% in vitro and 20.9% in Caco-2 cells at 10 mg/mL and stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in STC-1 cells by up to 122.4%. Finally, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition reached 23% at 6.67 mg/mL in a dose-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that LMW-milk peptides are safe, bioavailable, and exert multifunctional biological activities antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypotensive, supporting their potential application in functional food development.

Introduction: Paraquat (PQ) induces pulmonary fibrosis through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and fibrotic reactions. During this process, the overexpression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) promotes the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, leading to excessive protein accumulation in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Echinophora cinerea Boiss. (E. cinerea) is an herb known for its antioxidant effects. The goal of this study is to assess the protective effects of E. cinerea in PQ-induced lung injury.

Methods: Fifty adult male Sprague Dawley rats, weighing 220–250 g, were randomly assigned to five groups: (1) Sham received daily gavage of Tween 20, 3% for 6 weeks, along with inhalation of nebulized sterile distilled water (10 mg/m³ for 30 min, three times a week) during Weeks 3 and 4 of treatment. (2) PQ was administered via inhalation of nebulized PQ in sterile distilled water at a concentration of 10 mg/m³ for 30 min, three times a week, during Weeks 3 and 4 of treatment. (3) PQ and emulsion 100 were administered via daily gavage at a dosage of 100 mg/kg emulsion in a 3% Tween 20 solution for 6 weeks, alongside inhalation of PQ, similar to Group 2. The animals in Groups 4 (PQ + E200) and 5 (PQ + E400) were administered with higher doses of emulsion. At the end of the study period, the animals’ lungs were excised for histological analysis.

Results: PQ exposure caused lung injury and an elevation in α-SMA relative to the sham group. The administration of emulsion at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg, along with PQ, reduced lung injury and α-SMA levels relative to the PQ group. No significant differences were observed in the protective effects of the emulsion at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg.

Conclusion: Echinophora cinerea essence emulsion attenuates PQ toxicity and mitigates lung injury, with more studies needed to confirm these effects further.

Terpenoids have emerged as essential ingredients in the functional food industry due to their diverse bioactivities and potential health benefits. This review examines recent advances in green extraction techniques and characterization methods for terpenoids from plants, with further focus on their applications as functional food ingredients. The study explores novel extraction methods, including supercritical fluid, ultrasound-assisted, high-pressure, and microwave-assisted extraction, detailing their underlying extraction mechanisms, operating conditions, and compatibility for extracting terpenoids. It also evaluates various qualitative and quantitative characterization techniques, including chromatographic, spectroscopic, and computational methods. Additionally, the review discusses the current and potential applications of terpenoids in functional foods, highlighting their roles in food preservation, flavoring, coloring, packaging, and health promotion. By synthesizing recent research, this work offers insights into the efficient extraction, accurate characterization, and innovative utilization of terpenoids in the functional food sector.

Amomum tsao-ko (AT) is an important medicinal and edible plant. Its fruit has various colors, commonly available in green, red and dark red colors. There may be significant differences in chemical composition and pharmacological activity among ATs with different fruit colors. In this study, we systematically analyzed the metabolite composition of ATs of different fruit colors and their potential pharmacological mechanisms of action using a combination of widely targeted metabolomics and network pharmacology. Through widely targeted metabolomics techniques, we identified and quantified a variety of metabolites in ATs, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, and alkaloids. The results showed that there were significant differences in metabolite composition among AT with different fruit colors, especially in the contents of flavonoids and phenolic acids. Among them, flavonoid components such as kaempferol, isorhamnetin derivatives, and epigallocatechin analogs play a major role in the color formation of ATs. Furthermore, through the network pharmacological analysis, we constructed the metabolite-target-disease network of AT and revealed the potential pharmacological mechanism of AT with different fruit color. Five compounds, ent-Epicatechin, (4e_(6e))-1,ent-Epicatechin(4-hydroxyphenyl)hepta-4,6-dien-3-one, beta-daucosterol_qt, (−)-catechin and quercetin, which are effective in the treatment of tumor, were obtained by screening. They had good docking ability to the protein target of tumor. After screening the metabolites of four kinds of fruit color, quercetin was the common component of four kinds of fruit color AT, but the other four compounds could not be detected. In terms of the relative content of the detected compounds, light red AT > dark red AT > red AT > green AT; generally speaking, the content is relatively high, the more potential biological activity, so in theory, the light red AT is more effective in the treatment of tumor, but further pharmacological verification is needed.

This study not only provides a new scientific basis for the chemical differences and pharmacological effects of different fruit colors, but also provides theoretical support.

Background: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a critical clinical challenge, and lycopene, a natural carotenoid with antioxidant properties, has shown potential in mitigating organ damage. This research evaluated the therapeutic potential and mechanistic basis of lycopene against HIRI utilizing in vivo and in vitro approaches.

Methods: A rat HIRI model and AML-12 cell models (H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress and hypoxia/reoxygenation [H/R]) were established.

Results: Lycopene significantly alleviated HIRI in rats, evidenced by improved hepatic histopathology (HE staining), restored antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD1 and GSH), and reduced proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β). Notably, HRD1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, exhibited dynamic temporal expression: In mild HIRI (30 min ischemia/6 h reperfusion), HRD1 initially increased adaptively but declined thereafter, whereas severe ischemia (60 min) caused persistent HRD1 upregulation during reperfusion, exacerbating apoptosis and liver dysfunction. Lycopene treatment normalized HRD1 levels, reducing apoptosis markers (Bax, Cleaved-Caspase-3) and enhancing antiapoptotic Bcl-2. In vitro, lycopene attenuated H₂O₂- and H/R-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Mechanistically, genetic manipulation of HRD1 (silencing or overexpression) confirmed that it targets Nrf2, the central regulator of antioxidant defense, for degradation. Lycopene suppressed HRD1-mediated Nrf2 ubiquitination, thereby stabilizing Nrf2 and activating downstream antioxidant genes (HO-1 and NQO1).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that lycopene ameliorates HIRI by modulating the HRD1-Nrf2 axis, highlighting its therapeutic potential via dual antioxidant and antiapoptotic mechanisms. This study provides novel insights into HRD1’s context-dependent roles in HIRI and positions lycopene as a promising candidate for clinical translation.

Murraya tetramera Huang (MTH) is a traditional medicinal plant in western Guangxi and southeastern Yunnan, China. Residents commonly use it as tea. Preliminary experiments conducted by our research team revealed that the Murraya tetramera Huang polysaccharides (MTHPs) exhibit significant inhibitory effects on alpha-glucosidase (α-glucosidase) and alpha-amylase (α-amylase). In this study, MTHPs were purified using diethylaminoethyl cellulose-52 (DEAE-52) anion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography, resulting in a homogeneous polysaccharide named MTHP-2-a. Structural analysis indicates that MTHP-2-a has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 62.25 kDa. It primarily consists of rhamnose (Rha), arabinose (Ara), galactose (Gal), and glucose (Glc). The backbone fragments include Araf-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 3)-Rhap-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 3)-Araf-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 5)-Araf-(1 ⟶, Glcp-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 2)-Araf-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 2,5)-Araf-(1 ⟶, Galp-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 4)-Galp-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 3)-Galp-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 6)-Glcp-(1 ⟶, ⟶ 6)-Galp-(1 ⟶, and ⟶ 3,6)-Galp-(1 ⟶. In vitro antidiabetic activity assays demonstrate that MTHP-2-a effectively inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with IC₅₀ values of 1.24 ± 0.02 and 0.32 ± 0.004 mg/mL, respectively. For comparison, the well-known antidiabetic drug acarbose exhibited similar inhibitory effects, with IC₅₀ values of 1.80 ± 0.06 mg/mL for α-amylase and 0.21 ± 0.006 mg/mL for α-glucosidase. These results suggest that MTHP-2-a exhibits comparable inhibitory potency to acarbose, a widely used antidiabetic agent. Furthermore, through both in vitro and in vivo experiments, MTHP-2-a can significantly exhibit hypoglycemic effects. The molecular structure and sugar composition of MTHP-2-a were purified and elucidated for the first time, revealing its strong potential for antihyperglycemic activity. These findings provide new insights into the pharmacological properties of MTHP and lay the foundation for its future development as an antidiabetic drug, supporting further pharmacological studies and preclinical trials.

The growing interest in functional foods has led to the utilization of various vegetables for their nutritional benefits. This study focused on the development and evaluation of a green cabbage-enriched meal and the investigation of the impact of the enriched cookies on selected proinflammatory cytokines and hormones in pre-eclamptic Wistar rats. A cabbage-based diet was formulated and assessed for proximate composition and sensory qualities. In vivo studies were carried out with thirty-five female rats, which were completely randomized into 7 groups. The effect of continued feeding with the diet on immunological parameters was observed. The data obtained from the results were subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The proximate composition results indicated that the cabbage-based diet exhibited the highest ash content (2.47%–3.6%) and fiber content (2.40%–4.03%). Additionally, the cabbage-based diet exhibited a lower fat content of 9.00%. However, the pre-eclampsia (PE) + cabbage diet group demonstrated TNF-α and IL-6 levels comparable to control groups, showing the anti-inflammatory potential of cabbage, likely due to its sulforaphane content. Similarly, the PE + amlodipine group exhibited reduced cytokine levels, reinforcing the anti-inflammatory effects of the antihypertensive drug. Hormonal analysis revealed significantly lower progesterone levels in pre-eclamptic rats, aligning with impaired placental function and increased vascular resistance. However, the cabbage-based diet appeared to mitigate these hormonal disruptions. These findings suggest that dietary interventions, particularly harnessing bioactive compounds in vegetables, have the potential to serve as a complementary approach to managing inflammation and hormonal imbalances in PE.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of common household thermal processing methods, such as steaming, pressure rice cooking, and roasting, on the enhancement of bioactivities in sorghum and Italian millet, with a focus on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)–related functionality. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities, lipase inhibitory activity, and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells were evaluated. In sorghum, pressure rice cooking resulted in the highest total phenolic (110.90 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (46.83 mg CE/g) contents, whereas both pressure rice cooking and steaming improved antioxidant activities across all assays. However, steaming was the most effective in NAFLD-related functionality, showing the most pronounced lipase inhibition (35.66%) and the greatest reduction in lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells (84.67%) under free fatty acid (FFA)–induced conditions. Although Italian millet showed lower baseline activity than sorghum, steaming consistently resulted in the highest phenolic content (ranging from 19.06 to 26.16 mg GAE/g), improved antioxidant activities, and enhanced lipase inhibition (from 8.00% to 9.70%) compared to all other treatments. Lipid accumulation inhibition was observed only in the steaming group, where lipid levels were reduced to 94.15% of those in the FFA-induced control. Thermal treatments led to functional improvements that were associated with increases in bioactive compounds, such as arginine, branched-chain amino acids, and sulfur-containing amino acids, which have been associated with the regulation of lipid metabolism and hepatic function. These findings highlight the effectiveness of simple steaming for enhancing the health-promoting properties of cereal grains, suggesting the potential of this method for application in the development of functional food ingredients aimed at NAFLD prevention.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common complication of diabetes. The primary mechanism by which renal damage affects renal cells, including podocytes and renal tubular epithelial cells in DKD patients, is lipid metabolism reprogramming. These changes result in a metabolic stress response, including oxidative stress, energy stress in mitochondria, lysosomal stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and other stress reactions. Altered lipid metabolism, including abnormalities in proteins and enzymes related to lipid absorption, synthesis, and breakdown, may result in lipid peroxidation and the generation of reactive oxygen species derived from lipids, ultimately initiating ferroptosis in kidney cells. Ferroptosis is a crucial form of programmed cell death in DKD, marked by the buildup of toxic lipid peroxides dependent on iron. It plays a significant role in the progression of kidney-related tissue damage. The discussion also touches on the potential of reducing ferroptosis treatment in DKD by targeting lipid metabolism reprogramming and the metabolic stress response.

The study investigated the effects of slurry ice (SI), different concentrations of chlorine dioxide (20, 40, 60 mg/L) or ozone (1, 2, and 3 mg/L) in SI on the microorganisms, physicochemical properties, and lipid and protein oxidation of prechilled chicken. The total viable counts (TVCs) and dominant spoilage bacteria in treated groups were significantly lower than in untreated chicken, and the effect of reducing bacteria was significantly improved with the increase of chlorine dioxide or ozone concentration in SI. Additionally, color, texture, TBARS, total sulfhydryl content, SDS-PAGE, histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that high concentrations of chlorine dioxide or ozone accelerated the oxidation of proteins and lipids to some extent. Based on the results, 40 mg/L of chlorine dioxide-SI (SI-40) or 3 mg/L of ozone-SI (SI-3) was recommended to treat the chicken carcass. These findings will provide a theoretical basis for the rapid chilling and preservation of whole chicken in the future.