Protective effect of whey protein hydrolysates against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress on PC12 cells.

The protective effect of whey protein hydrolysates (WPHs) against H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative damage on rat pheochromocytoma line 12 (PC12) cells was studied. Whey protein was hydrolyzed by pepsin and trypsin and purified by macrospore absorption resins. PC12 cells were pretreated with WPHs (from 369 to 1,980 Da) at different concentrations for 2 h, then washed and incubated with 100 µM H(2)O(2) in the presence of WPHs for another 24 h. With 100-400 µg WPH/ml the viable cells increased by 20-30 % when incubated with H(2)O(2) suggesting that they may play a role as antioxidant in foods.