Isolation and characterization of novel peptides from fermented products of Lactobacillus for ulcerative colitis prevention and treatment

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an incurable and highly complex digestive disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Compared to the current therapeutic drugs, bioactive peptides are more promising and safe substances as functional foods or drugs for the prevention and treatment of UC. The alcohol-soluble components from fermentation broth by fresh wheat germ and apple (AC-WGAF) were found to be effective in UC prevention in dextran sulfate sodium-induced mice in vivo. Herein, 4 novel peptides are identified from AC-WGAF by membrane ultrafiltration, recycling preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry, possessing anti-colitis activity via using an in vitro model. One of those peptides named T24 (PVLGPVRGPFPLL) exhibited the most remarkable anti-colitis activity by preventing tight junction protein loss, maintaining epithelial barrier integrity, and promoting cell proliferation during in vitro and in vivo studies by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Thus, T24 is a promising peptide as a functional food or novel drug for UC prevention and treatment.(c) 2022 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Ulcerative colitis (UC), an incurable and complex digestive disease, affects millions of people worldwide. This study investigated the potential of bioactive peptides as functional foods or drugs for UC prevention and treatment, with a focus on alcohol-soluble components from fermentation broth by fresh wheat germ and apple (AC-WGAF). Four novel peptides were identified from AC-WGAF, and peptide T24 exhibited the most significant anti-colitis activity. T24 prevented tight junction protein loss, maintained epithelial barrier integrity, and promoted cell proliferation by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Overall, T24 shows promise as a functional food or novel drug for UC prevention and treatment.