Effect of food derived bioactive peptides on gut health and inflammatory mediators in vivo: a systematic review

Abstract

Dietary proteins serve as sources of exogenous peptides, after being released from the protein and absorbed, the bioactive peptides can perform several functions in the body. The objective of the current systematic review is to answer the question “How does food derived bioactive peptides can impact on gut health and inflammatory mediators in vivo?” The search was performed at PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases for experimental studies, and the risk of bias was assessed by the SYRCLE tool. The data analysis was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Eleven studies performed in animal models evaluating bioactive peptides derived from animal and plant sources were included and evaluated for limitations in heterogeneity, methodologies, absence of information regarding the allocation process, and investigators’ blinding. The bioactive peptides demonstrated potential positive effects on inflammation and gut health. The main results identified were a reduction in TNF-α, NF-κB, and TLR4, an improvement in IgA production and in intestinal morphology, with an increase in villi surface area and goblet cell diameter, and Shannon and Simpson indexes were also increased. However, more in vivo studies are still necessary to better elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity and mechanisms by which peptides regulate gut health. PROSPERO (CRD42023416680).

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Peptides from food
• intestinal health
• anti-inflammatory mechanisms
• inflammation
• intestine
• dietary protein

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Educational Personnel (CAPES), Brazil, for providing the scholarship support in the Capes-Print Program (process number 88887.694292/2022-00), and the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq, Brazil) for the Research Productivity fellowships [PQ2—grant number 310910/2020-0].