Transepithelial transport and cellular mechanisms of food-derived antioxidant peptides

Considering the involvement of oxidative stress in the etiology of many non-communicable diseases, food-derived antioxidant peptides (FDAPs) are strong candidates for nutraceutical development for disease prevention and management. This paper reviews current evidence on the transepithelial transport and cellular mechanisms of antioxidant activities of FDAPs. Several FDAPs have multiple health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and anti-photoaging activities, in addition to antioxidant properties through which they protect cellular components from oxidative damage. Some FDAPs have been shown to permeate the intestinal epithelium, which could facilitate their bioavailability and physiological bioactivities. Molecular mechanisms of FDAPs include suppression of oxidative stress as evidenced by reduction in intracellular reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation and apoptotic protein activation as well as increase in antioxidant defense mechanisms (enzymatic and non-enzymatic). Since many FDAPs have demonstrated promising antioxidant activity, future investigation should focus on further elucidation of molecular mechanisms and human studies to explore their practical application for the prevention and management of oxidative stress-related diseases.