Using Collagen Peptides From the Skin of Monkfish (Lophius litulon) to Ameliorate Kidney Damage in High-Fat Diet Fed Mice by Regulating the Nrf2 Pathway and NLRP3 Signaling

Bingtao Miao; Jiawen Zheng; Guoping Zheng; Xiaoxiao Tian; Wen Zhang; Falei Yuan; Zuisu Yang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.798708

Using Collagen Peptides From the Skin of Monkfish (Lophius litulon) to Ameliorate Kidney Damage in High-Fat Diet Fed Mice by Regulating the Nrf2 Pathway and NLRP3 Signaling

Front Nutr. 2022 Feb 10:9:798708. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.798708. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Bingtao Miao¹, Jiawen Zheng¹, Guoping Zheng², Xiaoxiao Tian¹, Wen Zhang¹, Falei Yuan¹, Zuisu Yang¹

Affiliations

¹ Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Marine Biomedical Products, School of Food and Pharmacy, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, China.
² Zhoushan Institute for Food and Drug Control, Zhoushan, China.

Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation play important roles in high-fat diet (HFD) induced kidney damage. Previous studies show that the collagen extracted from the skin of monkfish (Lophius litulon) with pepsin (pepsin-solubilized collagen, PSC) exhibits good biological activities. This study investigates the protective effect of PSCP against chronic kidney injury in HFD-fed mice.

Methods: Pepsin-solubilized collagen was further hydrolyzed into collagen peptides, and the compound with the best 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) clearance rate was named pepsin-solubilized collagen peptide (PSCP). A group of mice were fed an HFD for 4 weeks, and then for another 6 weeks PSCP was added to their diet at the amount of either 100 or 200 mg/kg.

Results: Pepsin-solubilized collagen peptide treatment (200 mg/kg) reduced the mice's serum levels of uric acid (UA), creatinine (CRE), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) by 27, 20, and 37%, respectively. This treatment also remarkably improved renal histopathology. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) were increased by 96, 52, and 74%, respectively, and decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level by 36%. Additionally, PSCP activated the Nrf2 pathway and inhibited NLRP3 signaling to significantly reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that compound PSCP has the potential to prevent or control chronic kidney damage.

Keywords: NLRP3 inflammasome; Nrf2; collagen peptides; high-fat diet; kidney damage.