Beef peptides mitigate skeletal muscle atrophy in C2C12 myotubes through protein degradation, protein synthesis, and the oxidative stress pathway

Food Funct. 2024 Apr 22;15(8):4564-4574. doi: 10.1039/d3fo03911k.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the potential of beef peptides (BPs) in mitigating muscle atrophy induced by dexamethasone (DEX) with underlying three mechanisms in vitro (protein degradation, protein synthesis, and the oxidative stress pathway). Finally, the anti-atrophic effect of BPs was enhanced through purification and isolation. BPs were generated using beef loin hydrolyzed with alcalase/ProteAX/trypsin, each at a concentration of 0.67%, followed by ultrafiltration through a 3 kDa cut-off. BPs (10-100 μg mL-1) dose-dependently counteracted the DEX-induced reductions in myotube diameters, differentiation, fusion, and maturation indices (p < 0.05). Additionally, BPs significantly reduced FoxO1 protein dephosphorylation, thereby suppressing muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases such as muscle RING-finger containing protein-1 and muscle atrophy F-box protein in C2C12 myotubes at concentrations exceeding 25 μg mL-1 (p < 0.05). BPs also enhanced the phosphorylation of protein synthesis markers, including mTOR, 4E-BP1, and p70S6K1, in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05) and increased the mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes. Fractionated peptides derived from BPs, through size exclusion and polarity-based fractionation, also demonstrated enhanced anti-atrophic effects compared to BPs. These peptides downregulated the mRNA expression of primary muscle atrophy markers while upregulated that of antioxidant enzymes. Specifically, peptides GAGAAGAPAGGA (MW 924.5) and AFRSSTKK (MW 826.4) were identified from fractionated peptides of BPs. These findings suggest that BPs, specifically the peptide fractions GAGAAGAPAGGA and AFRSSTKK, could be a potential strategy to mitigate glucocorticoid-induced skeletal muscle atrophy by reducing the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Cell Line
  • Dexamethasone / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal* / drug effects
  • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal* / metabolism
  • Muscle Proteins / metabolism
  • Muscle, Skeletal / drug effects
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Muscular Atrophy* / drug therapy
  • Muscular Atrophy* / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress* / drug effects
  • Peptides* / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Biosynthesis / drug effects
  • Proteolysis / drug effects
  • Red Meat
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Peptides
  • Muscle Proteins
  • Dexamethasone
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases