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Background: Corn peptides, a novel food prepared from corn gluten meal (CGM) by enzymatic hydrolysis or microbial fermentation, have attracted considerable interest owing to their various bioactive properties. However, the underlying mechanism of corn peptides attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of corn peptides in NAFLD and to decipher the underlying mechanisms. Design: NAFLD was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks. Corn peptides were administered during the period. Human hepatocellular carcinomas (HepG2) cells induced by free fatty acids were used for this mechanism study. Results: Corn peptides alleviated HFD-induced histopathological changes, disorders of lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial damage. Moreover, corn peptides blocked mitophagy suppression by HFD based on the increased LC3, ATG7 expressions, as well as decreased P62 levels. Corn peptides increased the expression of proteins involved in fatty acid β-oxidation, such as PPARα and PGC-1α. Corn peptides also improved the Ser/Thr kinase PINK1 (PINK1) and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin (Parkin) translocation to mitochondria, which is confirmed by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, stable knockdown of PINK1 by PINK1 SiRNA in HepG2 inhibited PINK1-Parkin-associated mitophagy and resulted in lipid accumulation. Conclusion: Corn peptides improved cell injury and ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid accumulation via PINK1/Parkin-mediated autophagy in NAFLD. Thus, corn peptides could be a promising nutritional molecule with natural functions for preventing NAFLD.

Abstract The potential modifiable role of diet in common psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, has attracted growing interest. Diet may influence the occurrence of mental disorders through its inflammatory characteristics. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore whether dietary inflammatory potential is associated with the risk of depression and anxiety. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to February 2021. Articles related to dietary inflammatory potential and risk of depression or anxiety were included. After the elimination of repetitive and irrelevant literature, we conducted quality assessment, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis. In total, 17 studies with a total of 157,409 participants were included in the final analysis. Compared with the lowest inflammatory diet group, the highest group was significantly associated with the incidence of depression and anxiety, with the following pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs): 1.45 (1.30 ~ 1.62) for depression and 1.66 (1.41 ~ 1.96) for anxiety. A subgroup analysis by gender showed that this association was more prominent in women. For depression, the increased risk was 49% in women (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.28 ~ 1.74) and 27% in men (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.06 ~ 1.52). As for anxiety, the increased risk was 80% in women (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.30 ~ 2.49) and 47% in men (OR 1.53, 95% CI 0.81 ~ 2.89). As a result, long-term anti-inflammatory eating patterns may prevent depression and anxiety, whereas pro-inflammatory eating patterns may promote these conditions. People should add more fish, fish oil, fresh fruit, walnuts, and brown rice to their diet.

Corn peptides (CPs) are a novel food obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of corn gluten meal. Recent studies indicate the hepatoprotective ability of CPs. However, little is known about the effect of CPs on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CPs in NAFLD and to decipher the underlying mechanisms. We show that CPs contain large number of antioxidant peptides. They significantly ameliorated oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and downregulated lipid metabolism-related proteins in in vivo and in vitro models. The AMPKα/Sirt1 pathway was activated by CPs, as was evident through the incubation of cells with the AMPK inhibitor, Compound C. These results demonstrate that CPs could be a promising functional food for preventing NAFLD progression, at least in part through activation of the AMPKα/Sirt1 pathway.

Jujuboside B (JUB) is a saponin isolated from the seeds of Zizyphus jujuba. The anti-colorectal cancer effect of JUB and its potential mechanism remain unclear. We demonstrated that JUB induced the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells via mitochondrial membrane damage. JUB-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells was dependent on the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downregulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway. Moreover, JUB significantly inhibited tumor growth in the colorectal cancer mouse model, and the molecular mechanism was consistent with the results in vitro. This study proved for the first tine that JUB can induce the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells by promoting ROS generation and inactivating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, providing a scientific basis for the application of JUB in the prevention and adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer.