Basic amino acid-enriched egg white peptides for efficient repair of intestinal injury: Preparation, application, and mechanism analysis.

Abstract

Intestinal barrier dysfunction is a major trigger in different gastrointestinal diseases. Bioactive peptide-based nutritional intervention has a strong potential. Egg white peptides (EWPs) are promising since they are able to retain the intestinal health through various biological activities, but the relationship between structure and activity as well as their effect of action is not clearly understood. Taking cognizance of the significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant as well as damage-repair activity of the simple amino acids, this research paper prepared and concentrated basic amino acid-enriched egg white peptides (BAA-EWPs) through controlled enzyme hydrolysis and polyelectrolyte membrane nanofiltration. This charge-based specific separation strategy enhanced the content of basic amino acids by 28.03% and gave BAA-EWPs greater in vitro antioxidant exercise than EWPs. BAA-EWPs intervention showed a beneficial effect in reducing clinical signs and healing of histopathological damage in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal barrier injury. It maximized intestinal physical barrier efficiency by boosting the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 and mucin MUC-2 which is effective in inhibiting intestinal permeability. At the same time, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of BAA-EWPs were found to be systemic in nature and reduced the concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) significantly and also enhanced the oxidative stress positioned markers (GSH, SOD, MDA, et al.). Transcriptomic analysis indicated synergistic regulation of several signaling pathways by BAA-EWPs, such as PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and Th17 cell differentiation, and enabled intestinal barrier repair. Also, BAA-EWPs supported intestinal epithelial repair with nutrition by regulating metabolic routes including the production of arginine. This paper elucidates the synergistic multi-mechanistic involvement of BAA-EWPs in intestinal barrier damage repair that would provide a theoretical foundation and technical details to the development of specific peptide-based functional foods ingredients in the management of intestinal health.