Antioxidant and antiproliferative effect of a glycosaminoglycan extract from Rapana venosa marine snail

Marine glycosaminoglycans (GAG) isolated from different invertebrates, such as molluscs, starfish or jellyfish, have been described as unique molecules with important pharmacological applications. Scarce information is available on GAG extract from Rapana venosa marine snail. The aim of this study was to isolate a GAG extract from R. venosa marine snail and to investigate its physicochemical, antioxidant and antiproliferative properties for further biomedical use. The morphology, chemical and elemental composition of the extract were established as well as the sulfate content and N- to O-sulfation ratio. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that GAG extract presented similar structural characteristics to bovine heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. The pattern of extract migration in agarose gel electrophoresis and specific digestion with chondroitinase ABC and heparinase III indicated the presence of a mixture of chondroitin sulfate-type GAG, as main component, and heparan sulfate-type GAG. Free radical scavenging and ferric ion reducing assays showed that GAG extract had high antioxidant activity, which slightly decreased after enzymatic treatment. In vitro MTT and Live/Dead assays showed that GAG extract had the ability to inhibit cell proliferation in human Hep-2 cell cultures, at cytocompatible concentrations in normal NCTC clone L929 fibroblasts. This capacity decreased after enzymatic digestion, in accordance to the antioxidant activity of the products. Tumoral cell migration was also inhibited by GAG extract and its digestion products. Overall, GAG extract from R. venosa marine snail exhibited antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, suggesting its potential use as novel bioactive compound for biomedical applications.

Marine and Agro-Industrial By-Products Valorization Intended for Topical Formulations in Wound Healing Applications

Over the past years, research attention has been focusing more on waste-derived, naturally derived, and renewable materials, in the view of a more sustainable economy. In this work, different topical formulations were obtained from the valorization of marine and agro-industrial by-products and the use of Carbopol 940 as gelling agent. In particular, the combination of extracts obtained from the marine snail, Rapanosa venosa, with Cladophora vagabunda and grape pomace extracts, was investigated for wound healing purposes. Rapana venosa has demonstrated wound healing properties and antioxidant activity. Similarly, grape pomace extracts have been shown to accelerate the healing process. However, their synergic use has not been explored yet. To this aim, four different formulations were produced. Three formulations differed for the presence of a different extract of Rapana venosa: marine collagen, marine gelatin, and collagen hydrolysate, while another formulation used mammalian gelatin as further control. Physico-chemical properties of the extracts as well as of the formulations were analyzed. Furthermore, thermal stability was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. Antioxidant capacity and biological behavior, in terms of cytocompatibility, wound healing, and antimicrobial potential, were assessed. The results highlighted for all the formulations (i) a good conservation and thermal stability in time, (ii) a neutralizing activity against free radicals, (iii) and high degree of cytocompatibility and tissue regeneration potential. In particular, collagen, gelatin, and collagen hydrolysate obtained from the Rapana venosa marine snail represent an important, valuable alternative to mammalian products.

Antioxidative activity of oyster protein hydrolysates Maillard reaction products

A two-step process of enzymatic hydrolyzation followed by Maillard reaction was used to produce oyster meat hydrolysate Maillard reaction products (MRPs). The flavor of oyster meat hydrolysate MRPs was significantly improved through an optimized orthogonal experimental design. Comparisons between the antioxidative activities of oyster meat hydrolysates and their MRPs were made using lipid peroxidation inhabitation, hydroxyl radical scavenging radical activity, and radical scavenging activity of 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). These methods indicated that an improvement of Maillard reaction on the oyster meat hydrolysates antioxidative activity. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry illustrated that the increase was due to the newly formed antioxidative compounds after Maillard reaction, mainly of acids from 22.45% to 37.77% and phenols from 0% to 9.88%.

Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Gelatin Extracted from Marine Snail Rapana venosa

In this study, we aimed to obtain gelatin from the marine snail Rapana venosa using acidic and enzymatic extraction methods and to characterize these natural products for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. Marine gelatins presented protein values and hydroxyproline content similar to those of commercial mammalian gelatin, but with higher melting temperatures. Their electrophoretic profile and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed protein and absorption bands situated in the amide region, specific for gelatin molecule. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed significant differences in the structure of the lyophilized samples, depending on the type of gelatin. In vitro studies performed on human keratinocytes showed no cytotoxic effect of acid-extracted gelatin at all tested concentrations and moderate cytotoxicity of enzymatic extracted gelatin at concentrations higher than 0.5 mg/mL. Also, both marine gelatins favored keratinocyte cell adhesion. No irritant potential was recorded as the level of IL-1α and IL-6 proinflammatory cytokines released by HaCaT cells cultivated in the presence of marine gelatins was significantly reduced. Together, these data suggest that marine snails are an alternative source of gelatins with potential use in pharmaceutical and skincare products.

Preparation and Identification of Antioxidative Peptides from Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Protein

The aim of this study was to isolate and purify antioxidative peptides from Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) protein. Five enzymes (pepsin, trypsin, papain, flavourzyme, and neutrase) were used for protein hydrolysis, and Pacific herring protein hydrolysates (PHPH) were separated by ultrafiltration. The fraction with the molecular weight below 3500 Da exhibited the highest in vitro antioxidant activities and cellular antioxidant activity. The PHPH was isolated and purified by consecutive chromatographic methods including gel filtration chromatography and reverse high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The purified antioxidant peptides were identified as Leu-His-Asp-Glu-Leu-Thr (MW = 726.35 Da) and Lys-Glu-Glu-Lys-Phe-Glu (MW = 808.40 Da), and the IC₅₀ values of cellular antioxidant activity were 1.19 ± 0.05 mg/mL and 1.04 ± 0.06 mg/mL. The results demonstrate that is possible to produce natural antioxidative peptides from Pacific herring protein via enzymatic hydrolysis and purification.

Structural and functional properties of food protein-derived antioxidant peptides

The aim of this work is to provide a timely examination of the structure-activity relationship of antioxidative peptides. The main production approach involves enzymatic hydrolysis of animal and plant proteins to produce protein hydrolyzates, which can be further processed by membrane ultrafiltration into size-based peptide fractions. The hydrolyzates and peptide fractions can also be subjected to separation by column chromatography to obtain pure peptides. Although the structural basis for enhanced antioxidant activity varies, protein hydrolyzates and peptide fractions that contain largely low molecular weight peptides have generally been shown to be potent antioxidants. In addition to having hydrophobic amino acids such as Leu or Val in their N-terminal regions, protein hydrolyzates, and peptides containing the nucleophilic sulfur-containing amino acid residues (Cys and Met), aromatic amino acid residues (Phe, Trp, and Tyr) and/or the imidazole ring-containing His have been generally found to possess strong antioxidant properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in addition to the presence of metal cations can lead to oxidative stress, which promotes reactions that cause destruction of critical cellular biopolymers, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Oxidative stress could be due to insufficient levels of natural cellular antioxidants, which enables accumulation of ROS to toxic levels. A proposed approach to ameliorating oxidative stress is the provision of exogenous peptides that can be consumed to complement cellular antioxidants. Food protein-derived peptides consist of amino acids joined by peptides bonds just like glutathione, a very powerful natural cellular antioxidant. Therefore, this review provides a timely summary of the in vitro and in vivo reactions impacted by antioxidant peptides and the postulated mechanisms of action, which could aid development of potent antioxidant agents. The review also serves as a resource material for identifying novel antioxidant peptide sources for the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Purification and identification of antioxidative peptides from mackerel (Pneumatophorus japonicus) protein

This study reports the preparation, purification and identification of an antioxidative peptide from mackerel (Pneumatophorus japonicus) protein. Neutrase was chosen as the optimum protease, with the highest cellular antioxidant activity of 53.65%. The optimal hydrolysate conditions for mackerel protein hydrolysates (MPH) according to response surface methodology were an enzyme concentration of 1203.2 U g⁻¹, extraction time of 4.53 h, pH of 7.26, water/material ratio of 5.22 v/w and extraction temperature of 43.72 °C. MPH was separated using ultrafiltration membranes, and the fraction MPH-III with molecular weight below 3500 Da showed the highest cellular antioxidant activity. Five fractions were separated from MPH-III on a Sephadex G-25 column, and MPH-III-2, exhibiting the highest cellular antioxidant activity, was further separated with an XBridge® peptide BEH C18 column. The MPH-III-2-6 separated from RP-HPLC was further analysed by Thermo Scientific Q Exactive mass spectrometer, and the heptapeptide LDIQKEV (843.5 Da) and the octapeptide TAAIVNTA (759.4 Da) were identified. The results of this study offer a promising alternative to produce natural antioxidative peptides from fish protein hydrolysate, which may be utilized as functional ingredients in food systems.

The heptapeptide LDIQKEV (843.5 Da) and the octapeptide TAAIVNTA were identified from mackerel (Pneumatophorus japonicus) protein.