Wheat Germ-Derived Peptide Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice

Abstract

This study explores the protective properties and potential mechanisms of wheat-germ-derived peptide APEPEPAF (APE) against ulcerative colitis. Colitis mice induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) were used as the animal model. The results showed that the APE peptide could alleviate colitis symptoms including weight loss, colon shortening, and histopathological changes. This peptide attenuated the generation of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the phosphorylation of protein kinase PKCζ (Thr410) and NF-κB transcriptional activity in DSS-induced mice, suggesting that APE ameliorates colitis inflammation by regulating the PKCζ/NF-κB signaling pathway. APE also preserved the barrier function of the colon by dose-dependently promoting the expression of tight junction proteins (claudin-1, zonula occluded-1, and occludin). In addition, APE significantly decreased the abundance of Bacteroides and increased the abundance of Dubosiella and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 to improve the intestinal flora imbalance in DSS-induced colitis mice. Therefore, wheat germ peptide APE can be used as a novel agent and dietary supplement to treat ulcerative colitis..

Oat Peptides Alleviate Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt-Induced Colitis by Maintaining the Intestinal Barrier and Modulating the Keap1-Nrf2 Axis

“…In addition, rice protein peptides can alleviate DSS-induced colitis by modulating intestinal flora and modulating Keap1-Nrf2 [23,48]. In addition, prophylactic supplementation with wheat germ-derived hybrid peptides (520 mg/kg), as well as APEPEPAF (50 mg/kg), was able to alleviate DSS-induced colitis by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway and ameliorating gut microbiota disturbances [49]. These studies suggest that food-borne peptides have a greater potential for use as dietary supplements in the prevention of UC.…”

Chensinin-1b Alleviates DSS-Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Inducing Macrophage Switching from the M1 to the M2 Phenotype

“…It has been reported that a variety of agents that have efficacy in IBD are known to inhibit the NF-κB pathway [33,[89][90][91]. These include some peptide-based drugs, such as Cathelicidin-BF, WFNNAGP, LP-5, pep-1, APE, and LL-37-Tα1 [92][93][94][95][96][97]. Immunohistochemical examination of the colon tissue showed that chensinin-1b effectively suppressed the expression of NF-κB p65.…”

Wheat peptide alleviates DSS-induced colitis by activating the Keap1–Nrf2 signaling pathway and maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier

“…11,12 The APEPEPAF peptide derived from wheat germ peptides has been shown to protect against colitis by restoring the damaged mucus barrier and inhibiting the activation of inflammatory signaling. 13 However, the bioactive peptides of wheat peptide still have great potential to be explored.…”