Short communication: Tryptic β-casein hydrolysate modulates enteric nervous system development in primary culture

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gastroenterology
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• The neonatal gut is vulnerable to disorders like diarrhea and necrotizing enterocolitis.
• Enteric nervous system (ENS) maturation is crucial for intestinal function and can be influenced by nutrition.
• Bioactive peptides from milk proteins may enhance gut development, but their effect on ENS maturation is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of a tryptic β-casein hydrolysate to modulate ENS maturation in vitro.
• To analyze the hydrolysate's impact on enteric neuron and glial cell differentiation and network formation.
• To assess the hydrolysate's effect on the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP)/Smad signaling pathway.

Main Methods:

• Primary rat enteric nervous system (ENS) cultures were treated with tryptic β-casein hydrolysate.
• Immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR were used to analyze neuronal and glial cell differentiation and network formation.
• The BMP/Smad pathway was assessed via quantitative PCR and immunochemistry.

Main Results:

• Tryptic β-casein hydrolysate significantly stimulated neurite outgrowth and enteric ganglia-like structure formation.
• The hydrolysate increased glial fibrillary acidic protein expression and altered glial cell morphology.
• Treatment modulated the expression of BMP2, BMP4, and Smad1/5 activation.

Conclusions:

• A milk-derived bioactive tryptic β-casein hydrolysate promotes ENS maturation in vitro.
• The hydrolysate appears to act via the BMP/Smad signaling pathway.
• Further in vivo studies are warranted to explore milk-derived bioactive peptides for enhancing intestinal maturation.