Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Proteoglycan-Lipid Nanoparticles from Freshwater Clam (Corbicula fluminea Muller) Soup.

Nanoparticles can be prepared by several sophisticated processes but until now, it cannot be prepared by simple home cooking. Here, we report that two incidental food nanoparticles (iFNPs) consisting of proteoglycans and phytosterols were isolated from soup made from freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea Muller), a renowned folk remedy for liver problems in China and other parts of East Asia. These two bioactive iFNPs were obtained and characterized by anionic exchange chromatography coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering measurement. Their hydrodynamic diameters and ζ-potentials were 50 ± 0.2 nm and -28.0 mV and 67 ± 0.4 nm and -9.96 mV, respectively. FT-IR revealed that the proteoglycans in the particles contained α-type heteropolysaccharides. Both iFNPs were resistant to pH changes and separation by mechanical force but responsive to temperature changes. They effectively inhibited cholesterol uptake in vitro, which resonates with the traditional belief that freshwater clam soup provides hepatoprotective benefits. This study suggests that these two proteoglycan-lipid iFNPs are the active moieties and offers a supramolecular structure-based approach to study the function of such complex matrices derived from food.

Antihypertensive properties of tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) frame and skin enzymatic protein hydrolysates.

Proteins from tilapia frame and skin can potentially be precursors of antihypertensive peptides according to the result of BIOPEP analyses. The aim was to generate peptides with inhibitory effects against angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and renin from tilapia frame and skin protein isolates (FPI and SPI). The most active hydrolysate was then tested for blood pressure-lowering ability in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Tilapia frame and skin protein hydrolysates (FPHs and SPHs) were respectively produced from FPI and SPI hydrolysis using pepsin, papain, or bromelain. The ACE-inhibitory activities of tilapia protein hydrolysates with varying degree of hydrolysis (DH) were evaluated. In order to enhance the activity, the hydrolysate was fractionated into four fractions (<1 kDa, 1-3 kDa, 3-5 kDa, and 5-10 kDa) and the one with the greatest ability to inhibit in vitro ACE and renin activities was subjected to oral administration (100 mg/kg body weight) to SHRs. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rates (HR) were subsequently measured within 24 h. The pepsin-hydrolyzed FPH (FPHPe) with the highest DH (23%) possessed the strongest ACE-inhibitory activity (IC50: 0.57 mg/mL). Its <1 kDa ultrafiltration fraction (FPHPe1) suppressed both ACE (IC50: 0.41 mg/mL) and renin activities more effectively than larger peptides. In addition, FPHPe1 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced SBP (maximum -33 mmHg), DBP (maximum -24 mmHg), MAP (maximum -28 mmHg), and HR (maximum -58 beats) in SHRs. FPHPe1 showed both in vitro and in vivo antihypertensive effects, which suggest tilapia processing coproducts may be valuable protein raw materials for producing antihypertensive peptides.

Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of two different species of a Chinese herb I-Tiao-Gung.

The anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of two different species of traditional Chinese medicines that shared the same name have been studied. The extracts of Glycine radix have higher activities in free radical-scavenging activity determined with DPPH, reduction in hemoglobin-catalyzed lipid auto-oxidation and inhibition of the lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-catalyzed arachidonate oxidation compared to the activities of extract of Flemingia. One of the significant bioactive constituents of Glycine radix has been isolated and identified as daidzein.