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Bioactive Compounds and Polypeptides from Plant Foods Exerting Positive Effects on Human Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Proteins and Amino Acids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2024 | Viewed by 1920

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Interests: drug target identification; protein–drug interaction; bioanalytical mass spectrometry; pharmacokinetics; proteomics; bioactive natural compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
Interests: antimicrobial activity; bioactive compounds; therapeutic target identification; proteomics; active peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive compounds are extra-nutritional components that can be found in plant foods, offering health benefits beyond the basic nutritional value. Moreover, polypeptides represent a class of nutrients that has exhibited an increasingly positive impact on the lives of its consumers. In fact, on the one hand, they are the main sources of amino acids, and on the other hand, there is growing clinical evidence that peptides from natural sources provide health benefits. Reduction in cardiometabolic risk factors, increased muscle mass and strength, increased metabolism and increased fat burning, the regulation of blood circulation pressure, the functional benefits of lean mass such as increased leg power or gait speed, and improved bone density are some of the effects on human health caused by peptides.

For many years, pharmaceutical research has focused on plants as a source of new drugs or lead compounds for the design of therapeutic agents. Furthermore, ever-increasing attention is being paid to the positive effects of a diet rich in foods containing bioactive compounds. This Special Issue aims to include original research and review articles that discuss the chemical and biological characterization of bioactive compounds in plant foods. The study of the bioactivities of molecules, their structure–activity relationship, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their biological action are also suitable for inclusion in this Special Issue.

Dr. Fabrizio Dal Piaz
Dr. Giuliana Donadio
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • food plants
  • plant secondary metabolites
  • biological activity
  • antimicrobial
  • anticancer
  • anti-inflammatory
  • peptides
  • hypolipidemic
  • cardioprotective

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5019 KiB  
Article
Pain Relief, Functional Recovery, and Chondroprotective Effects of Angelica gigas Nakai in Osteoarthritis Due to Its Anti-Inflammatory Property: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study
by Hee-Geun Jo, Chae Yun Baek, Yeseul Hwang, Eunhye Baek, Ho Sueb Song and Donghun Lee
Nutrients 2024, 16(15), 2435; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152435 - 26 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA), characterized by chronic pain and joint degradation, is a progressive joint disease primarily induced by age-related systemic inflammation. Angelica gigas Nakai (AG), a medicinal plant widely used in East Asia, exhibits promising results for such conditions. This study aimed to evaluate [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis (OA), characterized by chronic pain and joint degradation, is a progressive joint disease primarily induced by age-related systemic inflammation. Angelica gigas Nakai (AG), a medicinal plant widely used in East Asia, exhibits promising results for such conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of AG as a drug candidate for modulating the multifaceted pathology of OA based on its anti-inflammatory properties. We evaluated the efficacy of AG in pain relief, functional improvement, and cartilage erosion delay using monosodium iodoacetate-induced OA rats and acetic acid-induced writhing mice, along with its anti-inflammatory effects on multiple targets in the serum and cartilage of in vivo models and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated significant analgesic and chondroprotective effects of AG, along with functional recovery, in model animals compared with the active controls. AG dose-dependently modulated inflammatory OA pathology-related targets, including interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, matrix metalloproteinase-13, and cyclooxygenase-2, both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, AG could be a potential drug candidate for modulating the multifaceted pathology of OA. Nevertheless, further comprehensive investigations, involving a broader range of compounds, pathologies, and mechanisms, are warranted to validate these findings. Full article
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13 pages, 1742 KiB  
Article
Role of Corn Peptide Powder in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Responses in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
by Vijayakumar Mayakrishnan, Dae-Hee Lee, Kee-Hong Kim and Choon Young Kim
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1924; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121924 - 18 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 822
Abstract
Corn peptide (CP) is a short, naturally occurring, and physiologically active peptide generated from corn-protease-catalyzed hydrolysis. CP plays a role in preventing obesity-related disorders, but its impact on reducing inflammation is unknown. Hence, this study examined the possible protective effects of corn peptide [...] Read more.
Corn peptide (CP) is a short, naturally occurring, and physiologically active peptide generated from corn-protease-catalyzed hydrolysis. CP plays a role in preventing obesity-related disorders, but its impact on reducing inflammation is unknown. Hence, this study examined the possible protective effects of corn peptide powder (CPP) against the harmful effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), with a particular emphasis on reducing oxidative damage and inflammation in adipocytes. Hence, mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes underwent exposure to 10 ng/mL LPS, with or without CPP (10 and 20 μg/mL). LPS stimulation increased reactive oxygen species and superoxide anion generation. However, this effect was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by pretreatment with CPP. CPP treatment elevated the mRNA expressions of the antioxidant enzymes manganese superoxide dismutase (mnSOD) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) while reducing the mRNA expressions of the cytosolic reactive oxygen species indicators p40 and p67 (NADPH oxidase 2). In addition, CPP inhibited the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, Toll-like receptor 4, and nuclear factor kappa B mRNA expressions induced by LPS. These findings demonstrate that CPP may ameliorate adipocyte dysfunction by suppressing oxidative damage and inflammatory responses through a new mechanism known as Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B-mediated signaling. Full article
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