Food-derived bioactive peptides: health benefits, structure‒activity relationships, and translational prospects.

Hongda CHEN; Jiabei SUN; Haolie FANG; Yuanyuan LIN; Han WU; Dongqiang LIN; Zhijian YANG; Quan ZHOU; Bingxiang ZHAO; Tianhua ZHOU; Jianping WU; Shanshan LI; Xiangrui LIU

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Food-derived bioactive peptides: health benefits, structure‒activity relationships, and translational prospects.

Author: Hongda CHEN ¹ ; Jiabei SUN ² ; Haolie FANG ¹ ; Yuanyuan LIN ³ ; Han WU ¹ ; Dongqiang LIN ⁴ ; Zhijian YANG ⁵ ; Quan ZHOU ⁶ ; Bingxiang ZHAO ⁷ ; Tianhua ZHOU ⁶ ; Jianping WU ⁸ ; Shanshan LI ⁹ ; Xiangrui LIU ¹⁰
Author Information

1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
2. China National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
3. Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing 314100, China.
4. Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
5. Ocean Research Center of Zhoushan, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China.
6. Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
7. China Resources Sanjiu Medical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518110, China.
8. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta 100027, Canada.
9. College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. lishanshan@zju.edu.cn.
10. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. xiangrui@zju.edu.cn.
Publication Type:Review
Keywords: Absorption; Bioavailability; Biological compound; Functional foods; In silico prediction; Oral delivery
MeSH: Humans; Peptides/therapeutic use*; Structure-Activity Relationship; Functional Food; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy*; Biological Availability; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy*; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/drug therapy*; Hypertension/drug therapy*; Liver Diseases/drug therapy*; Bioactive Peptides, Dietary
From: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2025;26(11):1037-1058
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs), particularly those with ten or fewer amino acid residues and a molecular weight below 1300 Da, have gained increasing attention for their safe, diverse structures and specific biological activities. The development of FBP-based functional foods and potential medications depends on understanding their structure‒activity relationships (SARs), stability, and bioavailability properties. In this review, we provide an in-depth overview of the roles of FBPs in treating various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, and inflammatory bowel diseases, based on the literature from July 2017 to Mar. 2023. Subsequently, attention is directed toward elucidating the associations between the bioactivities and structural characteristics (e.g., molecular weight and the presence of specific amino acids within sequences and compositions) of FBPs. We also discuss in silico approaches for FBP screening and their limitations. Finally, we summarize recent advancements in formulation techniques to improve the bioavailability of FBPs in the food industry, thereby contributing to healthcare applications.