Antioxidant Peptides and Protein Hydrolysates from Tilapia: Cellular and In Vivo Evidences for Human Health Benefits

Abstract

Antioxidant peptides derived from aquatic organisms have attracted tremendous research interest due to their potential applications in human health. Tilapia is one of the most widely farmed aquaculture species globally. The current understanding of tilapia-derived antioxidant peptides is gradually expanding. This review discusses the current knowledge of peptides and protein hydrolysates derived from tilapia muscle, skin, and scales, whose antioxidant capacity has been validated in various cellular and in vivo models. To date, at least 16 peptides and several hydrolysates have been identified from tilapia that protect human and non-human cell models against oxidative injury. Tilapia hydrolysates and peptide mixtures have also shown protective effects in animal models of oxidative stress-associated diseases and exercise-induced oxidative injury and fatigue. The key mechanisms of tilapia hydrolysates and peptide mixtures involve enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and suppressing radical production. Notably, such hydrolysates also exerted additional in vivo functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, wound healing, and antiaging properties. Taken together, tilapia-derived antioxidant peptides and hydrolysates represent a valuable source of functional ingredients for applications in functional food, dietary supplements, and therapeutic applications. Continued research into their health benefits is warranted in the future.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory; antiaging; antifatigue; aquaculture; bioactive compounds; enzymatic hydrolysis; functional food; oxidative stress; wound healing.

Figure 1

(A) Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), (B) Mozambique tilapia (O. mossambicus), and (C) blue tilapia (O. aureus). (Photo credits: (A)—Cyrus Rumisha, FishBase [36]; (B)—Balaram Mahalder, FishBase [36]; (C)—Magdy A. Saleh, FishBase [36]).

Figure 2

Structures of selected examples of antioxidant peptides derived from the tilapia scale (a), skin (b–d), and muscle (e–g). Peptides were drawn using the ACD/ChemSketch freeware (version 2022.1.0, Advanced Chemistry Development, Inc. (ACD/Labs), Toronto, ON, Canada, www.acdlabs.com).