Enzyme-free method for preparation of sturgeon extracts with antioxidant, hepatoprotective and immune-enhancing...

Sturgeon has a long lifespan and slow evolutionary rate due to their powerful endogenous antioxidant system. This work aimed to assess the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of sturgeon extracts from both muscle and roe. The extraction process without enzyme hydrolysis is not only simple, but also can produce extracts with better free radicals scavenging abilities than enzymatic hydrolysates in both cellular and in vivo experiments. Moreover, in mouse models with liver injury and immunosuppression treatment, the sturgeon extracts demonstrated strong hepatoprotective and immune-enhancing functions, comparable to vitamin C and ginseng extract supplements, which were attributed to abundant antioxidant peptides of the extracts. The 15 isolated peptides exhibited diverse free radical scavenging ability. Therefore, the sturgeon extracts showed high potential to be applied in food and biomedical industries.