Food-Derived Opioid Peptides in Human Health: A Review

Abstract

World Health Organization data suggest that stress, depression, and anxiety have a noticeable prevalence and are becoming some of the most common causes of disability in the Western world. Stress-related disorders are considered to be a challenge for the healthcare system with their great economic and social impact. The knowledge on these conditions is not very clear among many people, as a high proportion of patients do not respond to the currently available medications for targeting the monoaminergic system. In addition, the use of clinical drugs is also associated with various side effects such as vomiting, dizziness, sedation, nausea, constipation, and many more, which prevents their effective use. Therefore, opioid peptides derived from food sources are becoming one of the safe and natural alternatives because of their production from natural sources such as animals and plant proteins. The requirement for screening and considering dietary proteins as a source of bioactive peptides is highlighted to understand their potential roles in stress-related disorders as a part of a diet or as a drug complementing therapeutic prescription. In this review, we discussed current knowledge on opioid endogenous and exogenous peptides concentrating on their production, purification, and related studies. To fully understand their potential in stress-related conditions, either as a drug or as a therapeutic part of a diet prescription, the need to screen more dietary proteins as a source of novel opioid peptides is emphasized.

Milk Proteins—Their Biological Activities and Use in Cosmetics and Dermatology

“…α-Lactalbumin is a good source of opioid peptides. It has the ability to reduce stress and depressive moods by increasing brain tryptophan and serotonin levels [ 81 , 82 , 83 ].…”

Untargeted Metabolomics of Korean Fermented Brown Rice Using UHPLC Q-TOF MS/MS Reveal an Abundance of Potential Dietary Antioxidative and Stress-Reducing Compounds

“…Rice grain is a major source of carbohydrate and protein, as well as other important nutrients, for billions of people worldwide, particularly in developing countries [ 1 ]. In recent years, brown rice (BR) has gained growing attention due to its obvious advantages over white rice for the content of bioactive compounds [ 2 ], as it is known that the wrong diet may lead to an imbalance between free radical formation and radical scavenging ability, causing oxidative stress [ 3 ].…”

The immune-opioid axis in prediabetes: predicting prediabetes with insulin resistance by plasma interleukin-10 and endomorphin-2 to kappa-opioid receptors ratio

“…The peptides and receptors of EOS in the brain areas control appetite [36] and mood and are associated with mood disorders [37]. MOR and KOR appear to compensate for the inclusion by the nucleus of specific food intakes [38].…”