Enhancing cognitive function with biopeptides from porcine brain hydrolysates via key targets: Keap1, p38α, AChE, and...

Previous research has reported the efficacy of porcine brain hydrolysate (PBH) in improving Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, the identification and screening of peptides with memory-enhancing effects within PBH remains ambiguous. The memory-enhancing effect of PBH was evaluated through animal and human experiments. Peptides with potential memory-enhancement effects were screened using molecular docking based on key target proteins (Keap1, BACE1, AChE, and p38α), and confirmed through cellular experiments. Results showed a significant reduction in behavioral errors of mice and marked improvements in the memory scores of humans. Five peptides with potential memory-enhancing effects were identified and screened. Cell experiments demonstrated that the cell activities were increased to 89.83 % and 78.14 % respectively for FPLHP and WGQKPW. Furthermore, the two peptides could reduce the contents of the four target proteins, thereby exhibiting the potential of memory enhancement. These findings offer a novel strategy for the discovery of peptides, which contribute to the development of memory-enhancing.