Evaluation of Anti-Oxinflammatory and ACE-Inhibitory Properties of Protein Hydrolysates Obtained from Edible Non-Mulberry Silkworm Pupae (Antheraea assama and Philosomia ricinii)

Effects of chemical modifications on allergenicity and functional properties of silkworm pupae proteins

Silkworm pupae proteins (SPP) have been exploited as a new functional protein, but there are still some people who are allergic to it. This study investigated the effects of different chemical modifications (phosphorylation, succinylation, deamidation, glycosylation) on SPP's allergenicity and its structural and functional impact. Spectroscopic analysis showed that all three modifications except glycosylation loosened the three-dimensional structure of SPP. Enzymatic hydrolysis studies have shown that the succinylated group can significantly enhance the hydrolysis resistance of SPP at 30 kDa, and the ability to bind IgE was maintained. Most proteins were hydrolyzed into small peptides within 30 min after combined digestion. A functional study of chemically modified SPP demonstrated that succinylation had a strong water-holding capacity. Further deamidation and phosphorylation have stupendous foaming ability and foaming stability, respectively. This discovery collectively will provide the experimental basis for developing and using silkworm pupae protein in the food industry.

Immunomodulatory Effects of L-Arginine-Modified Silkworm Pupae Protein Enteral Nutrition on Murine Intestinal Morphology and Immunity

L-arginine, a semi-essential amino acid, is well-documented for its role in nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, its anti-inflammatory properties, and its modulation of immune responses. Studies suggest it may improve gut barrier function and reduce inflammation in conditions such as colitis or sepsis. However, its specific efficacy in diabetic enteropathy (a complication of diabetes involving intestinal dysfunction, inflammation, and neuropathy) is less studied. To verify whether L-arginine and silkworm pupae components have a role in the treatment of diabetic enteropathy via the regulation of other cytokines and suppression of CD4+ T lymphocyte proliferation, a special medical-purpose formula containing both of these components was tested. For the first time, we have integrated L-arginine and silkworm pupae protein into enteral nutrition formulations for testing its anti-inflammatory potential. We have found that these formulations can improve the characteristics of diabetic intestinal inflammation through nutrient-modulating effects and nutritional efficacy. In addition, L-arginine (L-arginine, L-arg) enhances the immunomodulatory effects of special medical purpose formulas for diabetes mellitus. We utilized an oxidative stress model of small intestinal epithelial cells induced by high glucose and an inflammation model of the small intestine triggered by lipopolysaccharide in mice. The aim was to further investigate the protective effects of L-arginine and enteral nutritional preparations derived from silkworm pupae protein components on the intestinal tract. This research seeks to establish a theoretical foundation for understanding how L-arginine and these nutritional preparations regulate intestinal inflammation in vivo.

Stereo-hindrance effect and oxidation cross-linking induced by ultrasound-assisted sodium alginate-glycation inhibit lysinoalanine formation in silkworm pupa protein

Silkworm pupa protein isolate (SPPI) is rich in amino acids, making it chemically reactive, degradable, and easy to form lysinoalanine (LAL). We investigated how conformational cross-linking, induced by ultrasound-assisted sodium alginate, could inhibit the formation of LAL during the preparation of SPPI. Glycoconjugated SPPI (using 1 % sodium alginate under ultrasonication) showed the lowest LAL content i.e., 7.403 μg·mg-1, representing a 49.58 % decrease, with reference to the control. The ionic, hydrogen, and covalent bonds in the glycoconjugate increased by 171.79 %, 8.48 %, and 35.56 %, respectively. Glycation decreased arginine by 28.92 % and caused the oxidation of tyrosine, methionine and proline to form carbonyl groups. Some precursor amino acids, including lysine, serine, cysteine and threonine were not degraded during the combined treatment. The macromolecular aggregation caused by structural modifications strengthened the steric resistance of LAL cross-linking. The study outcomes provide a novel approach and theoretical basis for inhibition of LAL formation in SPPI.

Naturally Derived Luminescent Material in Engineered Silk and Its Application as a Fluorescent Dye with a Large Stokes Shift and Sensing Capability

Silkworms have provided valuable byproducts (spanning from high-quality textiles to health supplements) to humans for millennia. Despite their importance in sericultural economy and biotechnology, manifold possibilities inherent in the myriad natural or artificially generated silk varieties have been underestimated. In this paper, we report that the Yeonnokjam silk strain, which shows light-green color, contains quercetin fluorochrome (QueF) in sericin, and QueF can be used as a fluorescence dye with a large Stokes shift and high sensitivity to environmental temperature and pH, thus functioning as an environmental sensing material. A Stokes shift exceeding 180 nm, a quantum efficiency of 1.28%, and a rapid fluorescence decay of 0.67 ns are obtained, which are influenced by solvent polarities. Moreover, QueF can be used as a UV blocker as well, and its low cytotoxicity and biocompatibility further suggest promising prospects for diverse application in cosmetics and medical materials in the future.

Potential Impact of Bioactive Peptides from Foods in the Treatment of Hypertension

SCOPE

High blood pressure (BP) is the main preventable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Much research is aimed at finding natural alternatives to control or prevent hypertension (HT), since some hypertensive patients do not respond to current pharmacological treatments or show undesirable side effects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Forty relevant articles have been selected from various scientific literature databases. The results reveal that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition is the most reported mechanism of action of antihypertensive peptides. The active peptides have a great variety of origins. Biopeptides with a molecular weight of <3 kDa, short chain <20 amino acids, and a hydrophobic amino acid sequence at the C- and N-terminus exhibit higher antihypertensive activity. They also show good stability to enzymatic hydrolysis and gastrointestinal digestion, and no toxicity. To determine antihypertensive effectiveness, in vitro and in vivo animal studies are the most frequent developed, with few in silico studies and only one human clinical trial.

CONCLUSION

There is interesting potential for antihypertensive peptides as promising natural candidates for the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals and drugs for preventive or therapeutic treatment of hypertension. The aim of this review is to study the role of food-derived bioactive peptides in HT.

Silkworm pupae protein co-degradation by magnetic nanoparticles immobilized proteinase K and Mucor circinelloides aspartic protease for further utilization of sericulture by-products

Silkworm pupae, by-product of sericulture industry, is massively discarded. The degradation rate of silkworm pupae protein is critical to further employment, which reduces the impact of waste on the environment. Herein, magnetic Janus mesoporous silica nanoparticles immobilized proteinase K mutant T206M and Mucor circinelloides aspartic protease were employed in the co-degradation. The thermostability of T206M improved by enhancing structural rigidity (t1/2 by 30 min and T50 by 5 °C), prompting the degradation efficiency. At 65 °C and pH 7, degradation rate reached the highest of 61.7%, which improved by 26% compared with single free protease degradation. Besides, the immobilized protease is easy to separate and reuse, which maintains 50% activity after 10 recycles. Therefore, immobilized protease co-degradation was first applied to the development and utilization of silkworm pupae resulting in the release of promising antioxidant properties and reduces the environmental impact by utilizing a natural and renewable resource.

Should we provide edible insects in children's diets?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Diets low in animal-source foods or solely consisting of plant-based foods, hardly meet nutrition needs of children, exposing them to inadequate intake of essential nutrients. Thus, including edible insects in children's diets is relevant for meeting nutritional requirements, other potential health benefits, and building more sustainable food systems. Nutrition and health research on insects is novel and still limited. This review covers recently published research between April 2022 and November 2023 focusing on the relevance of including insects in children's diets.

RECENT FINDINGS

Insects provide protein, fat and micronutrients, and are generally nutritionally equivalent to animal-source foods. The protein and fat quality of edible insects varies depending on several factors. Insects also contain chitin which could potentially be beneficial for gut health. For insects to be considered suitable for inclusion in children's diet, they must be accepted. However, children who are unfamiliar with insects respond to them with curiosity and disgust.

SUMMARY

Insect farming can enhance their availability and consumption, potentially addressing nutrition gaps. Furthermore, transitioning from occasional to regular insect consumption requires actual exposure and integration into diets of insects. To affirm the nutrition and health potential of edible insects for children, well designed human studies are essential.

Edible insects as a source of biopeptides and their role in immunonutrition

Many edible insect species are attracting the attention of the food industry and consumers in Western societies due to their high content and quality of protein, and consequently, the potential to be used as a more environmentally friendly dietary source could be beneficial for humans. On the other hand, prevention of inflammatory diseases using nutritional interventions is currently being proposed as a sustainable and cost-effective strategy to improve people's health. In this regard, finding bioactive compounds such as peptides with anti-inflammatory properties from sustainable sources (e.g., edible insects) is one area of particular interest, which might have a relevant role in immunonutrition. This review aims to summarize the recent literature on the discovery of immunomodulatory peptides through in vitro studies from edible insects, as well as to describe cell-based assays aiming to prove their bioactivity. On top of that, in vivo studies (i.e., animal and human), although scarce, have been mentioned in relation to the topic. In addition, the challenges and future perspectives related to edible-insect peptides and their role in immunonutrition are discussed. The amount of literature aiming to demonstrate the potential immunomodulatory activity of edible-insect peptides is scarce but promising. Different approaches have been employed, especially cell assays and animal studies employing insect meal as supplementation in the diet. Insects such as Tenebrio molitor or Gryllodes sigillatus are some of the most studied and have demonstrated to contain bioactive peptides. Further investigations, mostly with humans, are needed in order to clearly state that peptides from edible insects may contribute to the modulation of the immune system.

Bio-economic potential of ethno-entomophagy and its therapeutics in India

Insects are the largest group of arthropods with the highest faunal diversity of over a million species. Apart from many other roles in the environment, the aspect of several insects being used for human consumption (entomophagy) and as traditional medicine (entomotherapy) by different communities of the world holds special significance for countering global food crisis. The enormous insect resources contribute a reasonable share in improving the livelihoods of many entomophagy practicing communities. Considering this significance, the present review emphasizes the bio-economic potential of insect resources. An overview of entomophagy practices in India; benefits towards the environment, humans and animals; insect species used in entomophagy along with therapeutic importance, nutritional, physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards; farming and mass production technologies; legal status and socio-economic implications in Indian scenario have been presented. Traditionally tested and accepted therapeutic use of edible insects have been reported to cure various disease conditions and calls for scientific exploration and validation to rediscover promising medical products of modern medicine. Edible insects as an alternative food need to be popularized in India with a new policy or regulation to harvest and sell insect-derived food products with proper safe consumption demonstrations. Considering the facts that insects reproduce in large numbers at a faster rate, require less land, water and other resources for farming, and economically and ecologically sustainable harvesting can be done in a short time, insect farming can offer revenue and rural job opportunities in developing countries, especially in India. Therefore, the traditional use of insects as food and medicine has tremendous potential to enhance the economy and living standards.