PEPTIDES DERIVED FROM RICE BRAN PROTECT CELLS FROM OBESITY AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Bioactive food-derived peptides possess the ability to promote wellness through health benefits by reducing the risk of chronic complications including obesity or age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Their large demand in the global food market has promoted intense research on bioactive peptides able to prevent disease propagation. Our research involved in isolating and characterizing fractions of peptides from rice bran for possible inhibitory effects against Alzheimer’s and obesity. Minimal hydrolysis and gastrointestinal juices treatment followed by fractionation resulted in <5 and 5-10kDa fractions. With <5 and 5-10kDa fractions, preadipocytes showed differentiation and proliferation (60%) significantly compared to undifferentiated cells (controls) (25%). Approximately 35% reduction in cytotoxicity of amyloid-induced neuroblastoma cells was observed with peptide fractions, <5 and 5-10kDa compared to the cytotoxicity observed with amyloid-induced cells (control) that were not treated with peptides. A pentapeptide, Glu-Gln-Arg-Pro-Arg (EQRPR) was characterized from the <5kDa fraction showing bioactive effects. It showed nearly 70% adipocyte viability more than control possibly signifying insulin-like differentiation to confer protective role against obesity. It also showed nearly 45% reduction in cell cytotoxicity on amyloid-induced neuronal cells. An efficient and reproducible biocatalytic technology to utilize underutilized co-product such as rice bran to produce anti-Alzheimer’s and anti-obese value-added bioactive peptide has been established. This should promote further research as applicable to food industry as a natural nutraceutical ingredient.