Walnut Protein Peptides Ameliorate DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis Damage in Mice: AnAnalysis andInvestigation.

Abstract

Walnut (L.) is a food with food-medicine homology, whose derived protein peptides have been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity. However, the effects and mechanisms of walnut protein peptides on ulcerative colitis (UC)have not been systematically and thoroughly investigated. In this study, we applied virtual screening and network pharmacology screening of bioactive peptides to obtain three novel WPPs (SHTLP, HYNLN, and LGTYP) that may alleviate UC through TLR4-MAPK signaling.studies have shown that WPPs improve intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction and reduce inflammation by inhibiting activation of the TLR4-MAPK pathway. In addition, WPPs restore intestinal microbial homeostasis by reducing harmful bacteria (and) and increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (). Our study showed that the WPPs obtained by virtual screening were effective in ameliorating colitis, which has important implications for future screening of bioactive peptides from medicinal food homologues as drugs or dietary supplements.