Sea Cucumber-Derived Peptides Alleviate Oxidative Stress in Neuroblastoma Cells and Improve Survival in C. elegans Exposed to Neurotoxic Paraquat.

Meng Lu,Ajay Mishra,Yushuang Liu,Gabriele S Kaminski Schierle,Chiara Boschetti,Zebo Huang,Hongliang Huang,Clemens F Kaminski,Jing Lin,Alan Tunnacliffe

doi:10.1155/2021/8842926

Abstract

Oxidative stress results when the production of oxidants outweighs the capacity of the antioxidant defence mechanisms. This can lead to pathological conditions including cancer and neurodegeneration. Consequently, there is considerable interest in compounds with antioxidant activity, including those from natural sources. Here, we characterise the antioxidant activity of three novel peptides identified in protein hydrolysates from the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Under oxidative stress conditions, synthetic versions of the sea cucumber peptides significantly compensate for glutathione depletion, decrease mitochondrial superoxide levels, and alleviate mitophagy in human neuroblastoma cells. Moreover, orally supplied peptides improve survival of the Caenorhabditis elegans after treatment with paraquat, the latter of which leads to the production of excessive oxidative stress. Thus, the sea cucumber peptides exhibit antioxidant activity at both the cellular and organism levels and might prove attractive as nutritional supplements for healthy ageing.

Highlights

IntroductionDue to an imbalance between the production and neutralisation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leads to oxidative stress in cells [1, 2]
Loss of redox homeostasis, due to an imbalance between the production and neutralisation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leads to oxidative stress in cells [1, 2]
We addressed the first of these issues by synthesising individual peptide sequences initially identified in complex protein hydrolysates of the sea cucumber A. japonicus

Summary

Introduction

Due to an imbalance between the production and neutralisation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leads to oxidative stress in cells [1, 2]. Ageing can lead to a decline of endogenous antioxidants, and the concomitant increase in ROS or free radical levels can lead to age-related pathologies, such as cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration [4,5,6,7,8]. The identification, development, and use of exogenous antioxidants represent a possible strategy to combat the abovelisted diseases [9]. Due to their physiological and pharmacological activities, natural bioactive substances, such as peptides [10,11,12], polysaccharides [13], and polyphenols [14], have gained increased attention in health care and longevity research and, have been shown to alleviate oxidative stress and the progression of age-related diseases

Methods

Results

Conclusion