An update on the effects of food-derived active peptides on the intestinal microecology

Abstract

The intestinal microecology is a research hotspot, and neologisms related to the gut such as gut-brain axis, gut-lung axis, gut-bone axis, gut-skin axis, gut-renal axis, and gut-liver axis have emerged from recent research. Meticulous investigation has discovered that food-derived active peptides (FDAPs) are bioactive substances that optimize the structure of the gut microbiota to improve human health. However, few reviews have summarized and emphasized the nutritional value of FDAPs and their mechanisms of action in regulating the composition of the gut microbiota. We aim to provide an update on the latest research on FDAPs by comparing, summarizing, and discussing the potential food sources of FDAPs, their physiological functions, and regulatory effects on the intestinal microecology. The key findings are that few studies have analyzed the potential mechanisms and molecular pathways through which FDAPs maintain intestinal microecological homeostasis. We found that an imbalance in the ratio of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the gut microbiota and abnormal production of short-chain fatty acids are key to the occurrence and development of various diseases. This review provides theoretical support for future comprehensive research on the digestion, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of FDAPs and the mechanisms underlying the interactions between FDAPs and the intestinal microecology.

Keywords:

• Food-derived active peptides
• gut-tissue axis
• intestinal microecology
• mechanism

Author contributions

Jianfei Mu: Writing – original draft, review and editing. Qinlu Lin, Ying Liang: Writing –review and editing, Investigation, Study conception, Funding acquisition.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by funding from the Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Hunan Province (No. 2021JJ10078), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2020JJ4138), Hunan Furong Scholars Program.