Surgical cotton microfibers loaded with proteins and apatite: A potential platform for bone tissue engineering

Tissue engineering has emerged as the best alternative to replacing damaged tissue/organs. However, the cost of scaffold materials continues to be a significant obstacle; thus, developing inexpensive scaffolds is strongly encouraged. In this study, cellulose microfibers (C), gelatin (G), egg white (EW), and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) were assembled into a quaternary scaffold using EDC-NHS crosslinking, followed by freeze-drying method. Cellulose microfibers as a scaffold have only received a limited amount of research due to the absence of an intrinsic three-dimensional structure. Gelatin, more likely to interact chemically with collagen, was used to provide a stable structure to the cellulose microfibers. EW was supposed to provide the scaffold with numerous cell attachment sites. nHA was chosen to enhance the scaffold's bone-bonding properties. Physico-chemical, mechanical, and biological characterization of scaffolds were studied. In-vitro using MG-63 cells and in-ovo studies revealed that all scaffolds were biocompatible. The results of the DPPH assay demonstrate the ability of CGEWnHA to reduce free radicals. The CGEWnHA scaffold exhibits the best properties with 56.84 ± 28.45 μm average pore size, 75 ± 1.4 % porosity, 39.23 % weight loss, 109.19 ± 0.98 kPa compressive modulus, and 1.72 Ca/P ratio. As a result, the constructed CGEWnHA scaffold appears to be a viable choice for BTE applications.

Pig Skin Gelatin Hydrolysates Attenuate Acetylcholine Esterase Activity and Scopolamine-induced Impairment of Memory and Learning Ability of Mice

The protective effect of pig skin gelatin water extracts (PSW) and the low molecular weight hydrolysates of PSW generated via enzymatic hydrolysis with Flavourzyme® 1000L (LPSW) against scopolamine-induced impairment of cognitive function in mice was determined. Seventy male ICR mice weighing 20–25 g were randomly assigned to seven groups: Control (CON); scopolamine (SCO, 1 mg/kg B.W., intraperitoneally (i.p.); tetrahydroaminoacridine 10 [THA 10, tacrine; 10 mg/kg B.W. per oral (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.)]; PSW 10 (10 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); PSW 40 (40 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); LPSW 100 (100 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); LPSW 400 (400 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.). All treatment groups, except CON, received scopolamine on the day of the experiment. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity of LPSW 400 at 1 mg/mL was 154.14 μM Trolox equivalent. Administration of PSW and LPSW for 15 weeks did not significantly affect on physical performance of mice. LPSW 400 significantly increased spontaneous alternation, reaching the level observed for THA and CON. The latency time of animals receiving LPSW 400 was higher than that of mice treated with SCO alone in the passive avoidance test, whereas it was shorter in the water maze test. LPSW 400 increased acetylcholine (ACh) content and decreased ACh esterase activity (p<0.05). LPSW 100 and LPSW 400 reduced monoamine oxidase-B activity. These results indicated that LPSW at 400 mg/kg B.W. is a potentially strong antioxidant and contains novel components for the functional food industry.

Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Aging Activities of Porcine By-Product Collagen Hydrolysates Produced by Commercial Proteases: Effect of Hydrolysis and Ultrafiltration

To investigate methods for improving the processing of porcine waste, porcine skin was hydrolyzed using different commercially available proteases (Alcalase, Flavorzyme, Neutrase, Bromeline, Protamex, and Papain) under several optimal conditions. Following enzymatic hydrolysis, the collagen hydrolysates (CHs) were fractionated by molecular weight (3 kDa) via membrane ultrafiltration. The CHs were analyzed for physical properties (pH, protein recovery, free amino group content, molecular weight distribution, and amino composition) as well as for functional properties (antioxidant activities and anti-aging activities). Among the CHs, CHs hydrolyzed by Alcalase (CH-Alcalase) exhibited the highest degree of hydrolysis compared to other CHs. Both “CH-Alcalase” and “CH-Alcalase < 3 kDa” fractions showed a considerably high antioxidant activity and collagenase inhibition activity. Therefore, resulting bioactives have potential for development as antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, from animal by-products.

Stability of Antiradical Activity of Protein Extracts and Hydrolysates from Dry-Cured Pork Loins with Probiotic Strains of LAB

The application of starter cultures to improve quality and safety has become a very common practice in the meat industry. Probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can also bring health benefits by releasing bioactive peptides. The aim of this work was to evaluate the stability of antiradical activity of protein extracts from LAB-inoculated dry-cured pork loins during long-term aging and evaluate their hydrolysates after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Analyses of hydrolysates by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were strengthened with in silico analysis. The highest antiradical activity of the protein extracts was observed after 180 days of aging. The influence of the strain used (LOCK, BAUER, or BB12) on the inactivation ability of ABTS radicals varied during long-term aging. The IC₅₀ values indicated the higher antiradical properties of salt-soluble (SSF) compared to water-soluble fraction (WSF) of proteins. The peptides generated by in vitro digestion have MW between 700 and 4232 Da and their length ranged from 5 to 47 amino acids in a sequence where Leu, Pro, Lys, Glu, and His had the largest share. This study demonstrates that the degradation of pork muscle proteins during gastrointestinal digestion may give rise to a wide variety of peptides with antiradical properties.

Comparison of Antioxidant Activities of Hydrolysates of Domestic and Imported Skim Milk Powders Treated with Papain

Milk proteins have many potential sequences within their primary structure, each with a specific biological activity. In this study, we compared and investigated the bioactivities of hydrolysates of the domestic (A, B) and imported (C, D) skim milk powders generated using papain digestion. MALDI-TOF analysis revealed that all milk powder proteins were intact, indicating no autolysis. Electrophoretic analysis of hydrolysates showed papain treatment caused degradation of milk proteins into peptides of various size. The antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates, determined using 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and total phenolic contents (TPC) assays, increased with incubation times. In all skim milk powders, the antioxidant activities of hydrolysates were highest following 24 h papain treatment (TPC: A, 196.48 μM GE/L; B, 194.52 μM GE/L; C, 194.76 μM GE/L; D, 163.75 μM GE/L; ABTS: A, 75%; B, 72%; C, 72%; D, 57%). The number of peptide derived from skim milk powders, as determined by LC-MS/MS, was 308 for A, 283 for B, 208 for C, and 135 for D. Hydrolysate A had the highest antioxidant activity and the most potential antioxidant peptides amongst the four skim milk powder hydrolysates. A total of 4 β-lactoglobulin, 4 αs1-casein, and 56 β-casein peptide fragments were identified as potential antioxidant peptides in hydrolysate A by LC-MS/MS. These results suggest that domestic skim milk could have applications in various industries, i.e., in the development of functional foods.