Abstract
Dry-cured hams are well-known and highly appreciated products in the Mediterranean and China. The long-term fermentation endows dry-cured hams with a unique flavor and quality. Our previous study has identified Asp–Leu–Glu–Glu (DLEE) from dry-cured Xuanwei ham with remarkable antioxidant capacity. In the current study, the Caco-2 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with different doses of DLEE. The cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and antioxidant enzyme activities were then determined to investigate the intracellular protection effect of DLEE. According to the results, the cellular ROS level was reduced, whereas the antioxidant enzyme activities of glutathione reductase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase were improved following DLEE treatment. The DLEE treatment also increased the Nrf2 expression, along with downregulating the Keap1 expression. Thus, the dry-cured ham-derived peptide DLEE exhibited excellent bioactive capacity by reducing the ROS level and regulating the antioxidant enzyme activities. In addition, Nrf2/Keap1 was shown to be the main signaling pathway underlying DLEE-induced antioxidant activities in Caco-2 cells.
Highlights
Lipid peroxidation, amino-acid oxidation in proteins, DNA modification, and the activation of nuclear transcription factors constitute the major processes that decrease the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, which can lead to a series of diseases, including chronic inflammatory syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and other age-related diseases [2]
CAT, GSH-PX, and glutathione reductase (GR) antioxidant enzyme kits were purchased from Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute
According to the intracellular antioxidant activity assays, the dry-cured ham-derived peptide was effective in reducing generation and stimulating antioxidant peptide DLEE was effective in reducing ROS generation and stimulating antioxidant enenzyme activities
Summary
Academic Editor: Per ErtbjergReceived: 2 July 2021Accepted: 23 August 2021Published: 26 August 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).Reactive oxygen species constitute the superoxide anion (O2 •− ), hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), hydroxyl radical (• OH), lipid peroxide (LO• , LOO• , LOOH), and other molecules with strong oxidative capability [1]. ROS are the byproducts of oxygen metabolism and possess unpaired electrons that trigger free-radical chain reactions. Excess ROS accumulation in organisms can disturb the redox balance and destroy the structure of nucleic acids and proteins. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation, amino-acid oxidation in proteins, DNA modification, and the activation of nuclear transcription factors constitute the major processes that decrease the ROS level, which can lead to a series of diseases, including chronic inflammatory syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and other age-related diseases [2].
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