Cytochemical assessment of phosphopeptides derived from casein as potential ingredients for functional food

Phosphopeptides derived from casein hydrolysis are suggested to have beneficial effects beyond their mere nutritive value by enhancing availability of dietary minerals, especially calcium, iron and zinc. Apart from a possible positive action the potential may exist for adverse effects that could impose restrictions to their widespread application in functional foods for human nutrition. In the present work, various case-inophosphopeptide (CPP) preparations were assessed using different human cell culture model systems in order to estimate their cytotoxic potential and their influence on epithelial properties and differentiation of human intestinal cells (Caco-2). The general cytotoxic potential of CPPs was tested using the AlphaTox NR assay. Structural and functional differentiation of intestinal Caco-2 cells was determined by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance and activity of brush border associated alkaline phosphatase over an extended cultivation period. No loss in cell viability with respect to membrane integrity could be detected, as uptake and retention of neutral red dye (AlphaTox assay) into HeLa cells was not affected by the presence of CPPs. Cytochemical assays conducted on epithelial cells (Caco-2) showed no disturbance of normal cell development and differentiation with respect to structural as well as functional differentiation markers. As all CPPs tested did not provoke any adverse effects in terms of cytotoxicity and showed no impairment of cell differentiation and monolayer integrity of human intestinal cells, it may be supposed that CPPs do not provoke a cytotoxic response in vivo in the cells assayed in the present study.