The protein solubility and molecular‐weight distribution of freeze‐dried sarcoplasmic proteins (SPs) from rockfish treated under low and high pH as well as various NaCl concentrations were elucidated. The solubility of SPs was significantly suppressed at an acidic pH (2.0–4.0) and in the presence of high salt concentration (0.5 M NaCl). The least amount of protein was lost when SPs were treated at pH 2.0 or 3.0 followed by precipitation at pH 5.5. The interaction of SPs with Alaska pollock surimi (myofibrillar proteins) was also investigated. The addition of SPs appeared to delay the thermal denaturation of myosin and actin. The SPs positively contributed to the gelation of myofibrillar proteins as judged by breaking force.

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A high carbohydrate-high fat (HCHF) diet causes insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MS). Rice bran has been demonstrated to have anti-dyslipidemic and anti-atherogenic properties in an obese mouse model. In the present study, we investigated the beneficial effects of rice bran protein hydrolysates (RBP) in HCHF-induced MS rats. After 12 weeks on this diet, the HCHF-fed group was divided into four subgroups, which were orally administered RBP 100 or 500 mg/kg, pioglitazone 10 mg/kg, or tap water for a further 6 weeks. Compared with normal diet control group, the MS rats had elevated levels of blood glucose, lipid, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Treatment with RBP significantly alleviated all those changes and restored insulin sensitivity. Additionally, RBP treatment increased adiponectin and suppressed leptin levels. Expression of Ppar-γ mRNA in adipose tissues was significantly increased whereas expression of lipogenic genes Srebf1 and Fasn was significantly decreased. Levels of mRNA of proinflammatory cytokines, Il-6, Tnf-α, Nos-2 and Mcp-1 were significantly decreased. In conclusion, the present findings support the consumption of RBP as a functional food to improve insulin resistance and to prevent the development of metabolic syndrome.

In recent years, a number of studies have investigated complementary medical approaches to the treatment of hypertension using dietary supplements. Rice bran protein hydrolysates extracted from rice is a rich source of bioactive peptides. The present study aimed to investigate the vasorelaxation and antihypertensive effects of peptides-derived from rice bran protein hydrolysates (RBP) in a rat model of two kidney-one clip (2K-1C) renovascular hypertension. 2K-1C hypertension was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by placing a silver clip around the left renal artery, whereas sham-operated rats were served as controls. 2K-1C and sham-operated rats were intragastrically administered with RBP (50 mg·kg−1 or 100 mg·kg−1) or distilled water continuously for six weeks. We observed that RBP augmented endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in all animals. Administration of RBP to 2K-1C rats significantly reduced blood pressure and decreased peripheral vascular resistance compared to the sham operated controls (p < 0.05). Restoration of normal endothelial function and blood pressure was associated with reduced plasma angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), decreased superoxide formation, reduced plasma malondialdehyde and increased plasma nitrate/nitrite (p < 0.05). Up-regulation of eNOS protein and down-regulation of p47phox protein were found in 2K-1C hypertensive rats-treated with RBP. Our results suggest that RBP possesses antihypertensive properties which are mainly due to the inhibition of ACE, and its vasodilatory and antioxidant activity.

This study was conducted to better understand biochemical changes offish muscle proteins as aflected by novel surimi process, acid-or alkali-aided solubilization. At 10 mM NaCl, between pH 5 and 10, the solubility of Pacific whiting muscle proteins was low but increased dramatically as the pH was shifred to either acidic or alkaline pH. At 600 mM NaCl. the isoelectric point was shifted to the acidic direction by about 2 pH units, resulting in aggregation ofproteins at low pH, but improving the solubility of MHC (myosin heavy chain) between pH 6 and 10. ANS surface hydrophobicity (ANS-SJ showed much greater values than PRODAN surface hydrophobicity (PRODAN-SJ for samples treated at pH 2 -4 perhaps due to an enhancemem of the electrostatic interactions between the ANS probe and proteins. At very high pH. according to hydrophobicity results, proteins were partially refolded when the ionic strength increased. Under acidic conditions, SDS-PAGE demonstrated the degradation of MHC at 10 mM NaCl. The formation of MHC polymers was observed under alkaline treatment with a concomitant decrease of SH content.'