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Capsosiphon fulvescens has potential benefits for functionality. However, research on its impact on gut health is limited. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of Capsosiphon fulvescens water extract (CFW) was investigated, with its intestinal health benefits confirmed in Caco-2 cell and mouse models. In the animal study, 32 male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, DSS, and CFW treatment groups and treated for 28 days, with DSS given ad libitum in 7 days. Significant improvements in various biomarkers related to intestinal barrier function, including increased transepithelial electrical resistance values and reduced permeability, were observed in vitro model. Moreover, the administration of CFW was associated with improved histological scores and improved levels of TJ proteins and cytokines. The therapeutic efficacy of CFW is believed to be associated with the bioactive compounds found in the extract. The findings here highlight the promising therapeutic potential of CFW for managing inflammatory bowel disease.

Pinus thunbergii is a black pine that has been widely used in health-promoting foods. This study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the alcohol-aqueous extract of Pinus thunbergii PARL leaves (PTE) in ethanol-induced liver-damaged mice. PTE increased the weight and survival rate of mice while reducing the levels of serum hepatic marker enzymes. PTE also restored the levels of antioxidant enzymes in liver tissues while drastically increasing lipid peroxidation concentrations. Histopathological examination of PTE-treated mice presented relatively less lipid droplets and hepatic tissue damage compared to ethanol-treated mice. Finally, to identify PTE components, Natural Products Application Solution with UNIFI along with an in-house library was processed and results revealed 35 compounds in the extract. These compounds were reported to exhibit significant antioxidant and/or hepatoprotective properties. Our results suggest that PTE improves liver function and can be developed as a food product with hepatoprotective effects.

Krill accounts for the highest abundant animal biomass on earth though it remains underexplored. During the present study, krill protein hydrolysates (KPH) were prepared using several proteases, optimizing reaction time for dose-response analysis of antioxidant activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation of selected KPH of pepsin, first by ultrafiltration (3 kDa), revealed the active fraction, 1–3 kDa, which was consecutively separated by ion-exchange chromatography and stepwise RP-HPLC. Three peptides were identified, sequenced and synthesized. The peptide P2 was effective in reducing H2O2-induced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. P2 reduced apoptosis in H2O2-stimulated hepatocytes by regulating the expression levels of Bcl-2/Bax and caspase-3. P2 pre-treatment increased nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression in cultured hepatocytes. Furthermore, P2 induced the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 by activating the ERK pathway.

Antioxidant peptides were purified from Mytilus edulis hydrolysates by peptic hydrolysis using consecutive chromatographic techniques with SP-Sephadex C-25 cation-exchanger and reverse-phase-high performance liquid chromatography. Three antioxidant peptides including PIIVYWK (1004.57 Da, P1), TTANIEDRR (1074.54 Da, P2), and FSVVPSPK (860.09 Da, P3) were identified by LC-MS/MS. P1, P2, and P3 exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging and ORAC activity. P1 and P3 were found to be more potent antioxidant peptides than P2. Thus, hepatoprotective activities of P1 and P3 were evaluated against H2O2-induced hepatic damage in cultured hepatocytes. P1 and P3 significantly (p

Abalone viscera is one of the byproducts from abalone processing and is discarded as industrial waste. In this study, abalone viscera hydrolysates (AVH) were prepared using Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Neutrase, and Protamex, and their oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) was evaluated. The AVH by Alcalase showed promising ORAC value, and further optimal enzyme/substrate hydrolysis condition for production of the AVH was determined. The AVH also exerted strong hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, Fe2+ chelating activity, and reducing power. Furthermore, the AVH inhibited lipid peroxidation in a model system and protected hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage. Amino acid profiles revealed that the AVH contained 57.1% antioxidant amino acids and 44.0% hydrophobic amino acids, which contributed to its higher antioxidant activity. In addition, the AVH showed cytoprotective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity of cultured hepatocytes, and significantly (p