Subscriber access provided by UNIV OF DURHAM
Bioactive Constituents, Metabolites, and Functions
Soybean-Derived Glycine-Arginine Dipeptide Administration Promotes Neurotrophic Factor Expression in the Mouse Brain Ayano Shimizu, Takakazu Mitani, Sachi Tanaka, Hiroshi Fujii, Motohiro Maebuchi, Yusuke Amiya, Mitsuru Tanaka, Toshiro Matsui, Soichiro Nakamura, and Shigeru Katayama J. Agric. Food Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b01581 • Publication Date (Web): 09 Jul 2018 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on July 10, 2018
Just Accepted “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. They are posted online prior to technical editing, formatting for publication and author proofing. The American Chemical Society provides “Just Accepted” as a service to the research community to expedite the dissemination of scientific material as soon as possible after acceptance. “Just Accepted” manuscripts appear in full in PDF format accompanied by an HTML abstract. “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been fully peer reviewed, but should not be considered the official version of record. They are citable by the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®). “Just Accepted” is an optional service offered to authors. Therefore, the “Just Accepted” Web site may not include all articles that will be published in the journal. After a manuscript is technically edited and formatted, it will be removed from the “Just Accepted” Web site and published as an ASAP article. Note that technical editing may introduce minor changes to the manuscript text and/or graphics which could affect content, and all legal disclaimers and ethical guidelines that apply to the journal pertain. ACS cannot be held responsible for errors or consequences arising from the use of information contained in these “Just Accepted” manuscripts.
is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties.
Page 1 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
1
Soybean-Derived Glycine-Arginine Dipeptide Administration Promotes Neurotrophic
2
Factor Expression in the Mouse Brain
3
4
Ayano Shimizu†, Takakazu Mitani‡, Sachi Tanaka†, Hiroshi Fujii‡, Motohiro Maebuchi§,
5
Yusuke Amiya∥, Mitsuru Tanaka∥, Toshiro Matsui∥, Soichiro Nakamura†, and Shigeru
6
Katayama*†‡
7
†
8
8304 Minamiminowa Kamiina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan
9
‡
Department of Agriculture, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University,
Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), Shinshu University, 8304
10
Minamiminowa Kamiina, Nagano 399-4598, Japan
11
§
12
Ibaraki 300-2497, Japan
13
14
∥
Research Institute for Creating the Future, Fuji Oil Holdings Inc., 4-3, Kinunodai, Tsukuba,
Division of Bioresources and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate
School, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
15
16
Corresponding author:
17
Shigeru Katayama, Ph.D.
18
Telephone/FAX: +81-265-77-1603. E-mail:
[email protected] 1 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
19
ABSTRACT
20
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, plays an
21
important role in cognitive abilities, including memory and learning. We have demonstrated that
22
soybean protein hydrolysate (SPH) diet suppresses age-related cognitive decline, via the
23
upregulation of BDNF in a mouse model of senescence. Our purpose was to identify novel
24
bioactive peptides in SPH, which enhance BDNF expression. We treated mouse primary
25
astrocytes with SPH, as well as with its positively-charged chromatographic fraction. Significant
26
increases in the expression of BDNF were observed in the treatment with positively-charged
27
fraction of SPH. Among the synthesized peptides, the dipeptide glycine-arginine (GR) increased
28
BDNF expression in vitro, and TNBS-LC-TOF-MS analysis showed the presence of GR in the
29
SPH. Furthermore, its administration in vivo increased the expression of BDNF in the cerebral
30
cortex, and the number of neurons in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. These data indicate that
31
GR might promote neurogenesis by upregulating BDNF levels.
32
33
Key words: astrocytes, BDNF, soybean protein hydrolysate, glycine-arginine dipeptide,
34
neurogenesis
2 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 2 of 34
Page 3 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
35
INTRODUCTION
36
Aging is an inevitable biological process which constitutes the progressive decline of
37
physical and functional tissue capacities. Brain aging is defined as a progressive loss of
38
neurophysiological functions, which is often accompanied by age-related neurodegeneration.
39
Particularly, cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), have
40
emerged as major debilitating illnesses associated with old age.1,2. In recent years, there has been
41
an increasing interest in natural dietary bioactive compounds with potential neuroprotective
42
properties, in order to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia.3 Omega-3 (ω-3)
43
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and especially docosahexaenoic acid (22:6,n-3), mainly
44
present in fish oil, play an important role in normal brain development and cognitive function.4
45
Some studies in animal models and humans suggest that dietary ω-3 PUFA intake can slow down
46
cognitive decline and attenuate the physiological brain disabilities.5 On the other hand, botanical
47
polyphenols have been reported to attenuate mood disorders and cognitive impairment,6,7 and
48
some flavan-3-ols, including anthocyanidins, such as catechin and epicatechin, have been shown
49
to selectively reach the brain and accumulate in the form of metabolites.8
50
Neurotrophins have emerged as a group of powerful molecular mediators in central
51
synaptic plasticity. Among these, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3
52
(NT-3) are considered as key players in the neurobiological mechanisms of learning and
53
memory.9 Thus, the therapeutic modulation of BDNF and NT-3 levels is a promising treatment
54
strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders, in which BDNF levels are dysregulated. 3 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
55
Moderate exercise has been demonstrated to increase BDNF levels in the plasma.10 Maejima et
56
al. reported that moderate exercise contributes in the protection against cognitive function
57
decline in the elderly, through the up-regulation of BDNF expression in the hippocampus.11
58
Food-derived peptides have various functions in human health. Recently, functional
59
peptides with brain-health benefits have been reported. Yamada et al. demonstrated that the
60
enzymatic digestion products of β-lactoglobulin, a major component of bovine milk whey,
61
exhibit anxiolytic-like activity in mouse behavioral experiments.12 We have previously reported
62
that oral administration of soybean protein hydrolysates (SPH) for 6 months results in
63
suppression of the age-related cognitive decline in senescence-accelerated prone 8 (SAMP8)
64
mice, and in upregulation of BDNF and NT-3 expression in the brain of SPH-fed mice.13
65
However, the bioactive peptides in SPH remain unknown. In this study, we identified the
66
bioactive peptides in SPH, which exhibited a BDNF-enhancing effect. We further investigated
67
the in vivo effects of the oral and intraperitoneal administration of SPH, as well as of a specific
68
bioactive peptide, in healthy mice.
69
70
MATERIALS AND METHODS
71
Chemicals
72
SPH composed mainly of di- and tripeptides was obtained from Fuji Oil Co. Ltd. (Osaka,
73
Japan). The synthesized peptides KGRKG, KGRK, GRKG, KRG, KGR, GRK, RKG, KG, GR,
74
and RK were obtained from GenScript Japan (Tokyo, Japan). 4 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 4 of 34
Page 5 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
75
76
Isolation of aromatic and positively-charged peptide fraction from SPH
77
For the preparation of aromatic peptides, 20 % (w/w) SPH solution (pH 7.0) was prepared,
78
by adding 19 volumes of 95 % ethanol, and kept at -20 °C for 30 min. After centrifugation at
79
5,000 rpm for 10 min, the supernatant, containing the aromatic peptides, was collected. For the
80
preparation of positively-charged peptides, SPH was dissolved in 10 mM ammonium formate
81
(pH 8.0) and loaded onto a DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column (GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI,
82
USA). The flow-through fraction, containing the positively-charged peptides, was collected .
83
84
Animals
85
Eight-week-old male and ten-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were purchased from
86
Charles River Laboratories Japan, Inc., (Kanagawa, Japan) and mated to obtain embryos.
87
Pregnant females were sacrificed and embryos were collected at embryonic day 18 for primary
88
cultures. For in vivo experiments, six-week-old male C57BL/6L mice were also obtained from
89
Charles River Laboratories Japan, Inc. The mice were provided with free access to a
90
commercially-available pellet diet (MF; Oriental Yeast Co., Tokyo, Japan) and water. They were
91
acclimatized for one week before the start of the study. The animal room was maintained at
92
constant temperature (22 ± 2°C) and humidity (55 ± 10%), with a 12-h light/dark cycle. All
93
experiments were performed according to the institutional guidelines for animal experimentation
94
at Shinshu University (Animal ethics, No. 270076 and 270077). 5 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
95
96
Primary astrocyte cultures
97
Astrocyte cultures were prepared from brains of mouse embryos. After removing the
98
uterus, brains were immediately dissected from each embryo, immersed in Dulbecco's modified
99
Eagle's medium/nutrient mixture F12 (DMEM/F12; Gibco/Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), and
100
treated with 0.25 % trypsin (Wako, Tokyo, Japan) in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), containing
101
0.01 % DNase I (Worthington Biochem, Freehold, NJ, USA), at 37 °C for 10 min. After
102
treatment, the cell suspension was centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 5 min and the supernatant was
103
discarded. The cells were resuspended in DMEM/F12, containing 10 ng/mL G-5 supplement
104
(Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) and 10 % fetal bovine serum (Biowest, Nouaille, France), by
105
gentle trituration with a pipette and the cell suspension was filtered through a cell strainer to
106
remove undigested tissue. The cells were seeded at 2.0×106 cells in 75-cm2 flasks and incubated
107
in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air and 5% CO2, at 37°C. Seven days later, astrocytes were
108
harvested with trypsin and seeded at 2.0 × 105 cells in 60-mm dishes for real-time PCR, ELISA,
109
and western blotting analyses. After four days of incubation, cells were treated with 1 mg/mL
110
SPH or with 1 or 10 µM synthesized peptides for 6 or 24 h, and collected for qPCR or western
111
blotting. The cultured cells were confirmed to be astrocytes by immunostaining with an anti-glial
112
fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody.
113
114
Luciferase reporter assay for CREB phosphorylation 6 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 6 of 34
Page 7 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
115
Primary astrocytes were cultured at a density of 2.5 × 106 cells/well in a 48-well plate and
116
transiently transfected with the reporter vectors pCRE-Luc14 and pRL-SV40 (control reporter
117
vector; Promega, Madison, WI, USA), by using Lipofectamine 2000, for 24 h. After the
118
transfection medium was replaced with fresh medium, the cells were incubated with SPH at a
119
concentration of 0.5 or 1 mg/mL for 4 h. The transfection efficiency was normalized to that of
120
pRL-SV40. Firefly and Renilla luciferase activities were measured using the Dual Luciferase
121
reporter assay kit and the GloMax 20/20 Luminometer (Promega). The relative light unit units
122
were normalized to the constitutively active Renilla luminescence of the same sample.
123
124
Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR)
125
Total RNA was prepared using RNAiso Plus (TaKaRa Bio, Shiga, Japan). RNA was used
126
to reverse transcription using the ReverTra Ace real-time qPCR kit (Toyobo, Osaka, Japan).
127
Real-time qPCR was carried out using a Kapa SYBR Fast qPCR kit (Kapa Biosystems, Woburn,
128
MA, USA). Quantification of relative gene expression was performed by using the Thermal
129
Cycler Dice real time system software (Takara Bio). β-actin was used as an internal standard to
130
normalize the amount of total RNA present in each reaction mix, and the relative expression in
131
each experimental group was expressed as the fold change compared to a control sample, using
132
the
133
5'-GCGGCAGATAAAAAGACTGC-3' (forward) and 5'-CTTATGAATCGCCAGCCAAT-3'
134
(reverse), and for β-actin, 5’-CACTATTGGCAACGACAAGCGGTTC-3’ (forward) and
comparative
∆∆Cq
method.
The
primer
7 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
sequences
for
BDNF
were
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
135
5’-ACTTGCGGTGCACGATGGAG-3’ (reverse).
136
137
Western blot analysis
138
Astrocytes were collected using a cell scraper and homogenized in RIPA lysis buffer
139
(Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA) on ice. Cell lysates were centrifuged at
140
12,000 g for 10 min at 4°C, and the supernatants were collected. The total protein concentration
141
was determined using the BCA assay with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the standard. Proteins
142
(15 µg) were separated by electrophoresis, on 15 % polyacrylamide gels, and transferred to
143
polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (Clear Blot Membrane-P; ATTO, Tokyo, Japan). After
144
blocking with 3 % BSA in Tris-buffered saline buffer, containing 0.1 % Tween 20, for 60 min at
145
room temperature, the membranes were incubated with primary antibodies against BDNF
146
(1:1,000, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA) and β-actin (1:5,000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology)
147
overnight at 4°C or for 1 h at room temperature, respectively. The membranes were then
148
incubated with the secondary anti-rabbit HRP-conjugated (1:5,000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology)
149
and anti-mouse HRP-conjugated antibodies (1:10,000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology) for 60 min at
150
room temperature, for the detection of BDNF and β-actin, respectively. Chemiluminescence
151
detection was performed using the Pierce Western blotting substrate (Thermo Scientific,
152
Rockford, IL, USA) and AE-9300 Ez-Capture (ATTO). proBDNF and mature BDNF (mBDNF)
153
were detected as a band of 35 kDa and 28 kDa, respectively.
154
8 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 8 of 34
Page 9 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
155
Quantitative assay of peptides in SPH by LC-TOF-MS
156
Target peptides in SPH were assayed by a liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass
157
spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) in combination with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzen sulfonate (TNBS)
158
derivatization technique.15 The quantification of peptides was performed according to our
159
reported standard additon method16, because the method could compensate unexpected
160
reduction of MS detection by interferring matrix without any use of appropriate internal
161
standard or expensive stable isotope labelling technique. Briefly, target peptides were spiked
162
into SPH solution (1 mg/mL in 0.1 M borate buffer, pH 8.0) with the final cncentration of 0, 4,
163
8, and 16 µg/mL. The spiked solutions (40 µL) were subjected to TNBS derivatization reaction
164
by adding 10 µL of 150 mM TNBS solution in 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 8.0) at 30 °C for 30 min.
165
Fifty µL of 0.2 % formic acid were, then, added to 50 µL of the resultant mixture, and an
166
aliquot (10 µL) was injected to LC-TOF-MS.
167
Chromatographic separation was carried on a Waters Biosuite C18 column (2.1 × 150 mm,
168
3-µm pore size) (Waters, Milford, MA, USA). A linear gradient elution of methanol (0–100%),
169
containing 0.1% formic acid, at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, was performed at 40°C. Electrospray
170
ionization (ESI)-TOF-MS analysis was carried out in positive ESI mode, and the mass-detection
171
range was set at 100-1,000 m/z. The conditions of the ESI source were as follows: drying gas
172
(N2) flow rate = 8.0 L/min; drying gas temperature = 200 °C; nebulizing gas pressure = 1.6 bar;
173
capillary voltage = 3,800 V. All data acquisition and analyses were performed by using a Bruker
174
data analysis 3.2 software. To ensure optimal conditions for the analyses, we calibrated the 9 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
175
detector using sodium formate clusters (10 mM sodium formate in water:acetonitrile (1:1, v/v)).
176
The calibration solution was injected at the beginning of the run and all spectra were calibrated
177
prior to characterization. The width was set at 0.05 m/z for the mono-isotopic isolation of the
178
target ions: trinitrophenyl (TNP)-KGR and TNP-GRK = 571.222 m/z; TNP-GR = 443.127 m/z;
179
TNP-RK = 514.201 m/z.
180
181
In vivo experiments
182
For oral administration, 7-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with saline, GR
183
dipeptide (15 or 100 mg/kg, once a day), or SPH (100 mg/kg, once a day) for 14 days. For
184
intraperitoneal administration, mice were treated with saline, GR dipeptide (15 mg/kg, once a
185
day), or SPH (100 mg/kg, once a day) for five days. Twenty-four hours after administration, the
186
mice were sacrificed, and brains were collected, and processed for western blot analysis.
187
188
Immunostaining
189
The collected brain tissues were fixed with 30 % paraformaldehyde and then embedded in
190
paraffin. The sections (6 µm) were blocked in PBS containing 10 % goat serum and 0.1 % Tween
191
20 and were incubated with a rabbit anti-NeuN antibody (Abcam) diluted in 1:750. After
192
washing six times with 0.1 % BSA in PBS, the sections were incubated with secondary antibody
193
(Alexa Fluor 488 goat anti-rabbit IgG, Abcam) diluted 1:1,000, washed six times with 0.1 %
194
BSA in PBS, and then were mounted in a mounting medium with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole 10 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 10 of 34
Page 11 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
195
(DAPI) (ImmunoSelect Antifading Mounting Medium; Dianova, Hamburg, Germany). Images
196
were taken using an EVOS fl fluorescence microscope (Advanced Microscopy Group, Bothell,
197
WA, USA).
198
199
Statistical analysis
200
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Data on BDNF mRNA expression
201
in primary astrocytes were analyzed using Student’s t-test. For all other comparisons, one- or
202
two-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s post hoc test was used. Differences with p 0.988. Moreover, we found that GR dipeptide was
243
successfully detected and quantified in the SPH used in this study (2.02 mg/g of SPH, Figure S1),
244
whereas other peptides (KGR, GRK, and RK) failed to be detected within the present MS
245
conditions, suggesting that SPH contains at least GR dipeptide at >0.2 wt% level.
246
247
Effects of GR and SPH administration on BDNF expression in the mouse brain
248
To examine the effects of GR administration in vivo, we measured BDNF expression
249
levels in the brain after oral administration for 14 days. In the hippocampus, there was a trend for
250
increased proBDNF levels after treatment with 15 mg/kg/day of GR, but it was not statistically
251
significant (Figure 4A). Neither GR nor SPH treatment changed mBDNF expression in the
252
hippocampus. On the other hand, a significant increase in proBDNF expression was observed in
253
the cerebral cortex of mice treated with GR at 100 mg/kg/day, whereas mBDNF expression
254
remained unaffected (Figure 4B). 13 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
255
We next investigated the effects of the intraperitoneal administration of GR (15
256
mg/kg/day) and SPH (100 mg/kg/day). In the hippocampus, GR treatment increased proBDNF
257
expression, whereas no changes in mBDNF expression level were observed by either treatment
258
(Figures 5A). In contrast, in the cerebral cortex, significant increases in the expression of both
259
proBDNF and mBDNF were observed in the GR- and SPH-treated mice (Figure 5B). These
260
results suggest that GR administration enhances BDNF levels in the brain, and especially in the
261
cerebral cortex; this effect was stronger after intraperitoneal than oral GR administration.
262
We further examined whether intraperitoneally-administered SPH can promote
263
neurogenesis, a process that includes the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of neurons.
264
For this purpose, we used the neuron-specific nuclear protein NeuN, as a mature neuronal marker.
265
The number of NeuN positive cells was higher in GR- than saline-treated mice, in both the
266
dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (Figure 6A) and the cerebral cortex (Figure 6B), thus
267
suggesting that GR treatment might positively affect neurogenesis.
268
269
DISUCSSION
270
In this work, we demonstrated that the positively-charged peptides GRK and GR, induce
271
proBDNF expression in primary astrocytes, while GR administration in vivo enhances BDNF
272
expression in the brain. According to the LC-TOF-MS results, only the GR, but not the GRK
273
peptide, was detected in the SPH. It is possible that during SPH preparation, the enzymatic
274
treatment might have resulted in the cleavage of GRK to GR. To clarify the in vivo effect and 14 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 14 of 34
Page 15 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
275
metabolism of the GR dipeptide, we compared the effects of the oral to those of the
276
intraperitoneal administration. The most significant increase was observed in proBDNF
277
expression in the cerebral cortex of mice intraperitoneally-treated with GR for five consecutive
278
days. However, a significant, but lower, increase was also observed in the cortex of mice
279
orally-administered with GR. This discrepancy between the oral and intraperitoneal
280
administration might be due to the potential cleavage of GR by enzymes of the digestive tract.
281
No significant changes were observed after oral administration of SPH, suggesting that GR is a
282
more potent agent than SPH. Our previous work has demonstrated that long-term administration
283
of SPH enhances BDNF and NT-3 expression in the brain and suppresses the cognitive decline
284
observed in SAMP8 mice.13 However, the effects of oral GR administration in SAMP8 mice still
285
remain unclear and require further studies.
286
BDNF is known to bind to TrkB and thus activate the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase
287
signaling pathway and the release of neurotransmitters for presynaptic sites.18,19 Previous studies
288
have reported that the cyclic pentapeptide cyclo(-D-Pro-Ala-Lys-Arg-) was designed to act as an
289
effective BDNF-like agonist. Massa et al.20 also demonstrated that subregion b of the second
290
loop (Ser-Lys-Gly-Gln-Leu) of BDNF is involved in TrkB activation. Furthermore,
291
Cardenas-Aguayo et al.17 demonstrated that tetrapeptides, such as Ac-Ile-Lys-Arg-Gly-CONH2
292
and Ac-Ser-Lys-Lys-Arg-CONH2, which mimic different active regions of BDNF, activate the
293
TrkB receptor and induce BDNF expression. These reports suggest that positively-charged amino
294
acids in BDNF, such as lysine or arginine, might play important roles in its binding to TrkB. In 15 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
295
our study, we show that the positively-charged fraction of SPH increases BDNF expression in
296
primary astrocytes. GR was identified as one of bioactive peptides promoting BDNF expression
297
from the SPH; however, the GR content in SPH was estimated at around 0.2 wt% level,
298
suggesting that there must be still potential peptides in the positively-charged fraction of SPH.
299
Here we focused on the the amino acid sequence of KGRKG and did not investigated the
300
sequence combination except that. Therefore, there might be a possibility that oligopeptides
301
containing GR sequence exert a potent enhancing effect of BDNF expression.
302
In general, it is considered difficult for orally-administered peptides to reach the brain, as
303
they are easily digested to single amino acids; however, some bioactive peptides found in SPH
304
appear to directly contribute to BDNF regulation in the brain. Indeed, we found that both oral
305
and intraperitoneal administration of SPH and of its bioactive peptide, GR, increase BDNF levels
306
in the brain. However, it is still unknown whether these bioactive peptides cross the blood brain
307
barrier and reach different brain areas. Further investigation of the peptide distribution in the
308
brain will be necessary for the clarification of the underlying molecular mechanisms.
309
BDNF exerts an important role in the formation of appropriate synaptic connections, both
310
during development and during learning and memory in adults.21 It is well known that BDNF
311
protein is secreted as proBDNF, which is then cleaved extracellularly via the tissue plasminogen
312
activator/plasmin proteolytic cascade.22 Similarly, using western blotting, we detected BDNF in
313
the cell lysate mainly as proBDNF. We measured the secreted BDNF in the cell culture medium
314
by ELISA; however, BDNF levels were lower in the medium than the cell lysate (data not 16 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 16 of 34
Page 17 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
315
shown). Since astrocytes are known to closely interact with neurons, a co-culture assay of
316
astrocytes and neurons will be necessary to examine the effects of SPH and its bioactive peptides
317
on BDNF secretion.
318
Several studies have demonstrated that orally administrated phytochemicals exhibit
319
positive effects on brain functions. For example, the oral administration of quercetin, a natural
320
flavonoid, increases the proliferation of mouse neural stem cells in the dentate gyrus, while
321
quercetin-3-o-glucuronide, one of the major quercetin metabolites, activates the Akt/cyclin D1
322
and BDNF signaling pathways.23 Further, oral administration of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone, a potent
323
TrkB agonist, prevents the deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) and inhibits the synaptic loss seen in
324
the hippocampus of a transgenic mouse model of AD, by activating TrkB signaling.24
325
Concerning the beneficial effects of soybean-derived bioactive compounds on brain function,
326
isoflavone is considered as a potent neuromodulating agent. Oral administration of soybean
327
isoflavone in rats suppresses the Aβ1-42-induced neuronal damage, via activation of the
328
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor signaling pathway.25 However, Chatterjee et al. reported that
329
genistein, an isoflavone abundantly found in soybean, enhances the accumulation of the Aβ
330
peptide, by increasing the expression of the amyloid precursor protein.26 Therefore, the
331
beneficial effect of soybean isoflavone against AD is still questionable. In this study, we
332
demonstrated that bioactive peptides of soybean ingredients are good candidates as
333
neuromodulating agents, which might contribute to the suppression of Aβ1-42-induced neuronal
334
damage. Hence, further studies on the potential beneficial effects of soybean peptides against AD 17 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
335
are required, with a special focus on the effects of the positively-charged fraction or the GR
336
dipeptide, identified in this study.
337
In conclusion, we demonstrated that the GR dipeptide contained in SPH enhances BDNF
338
expression both in vitro, in primary astrocytes, and in vivo, in the brain, and especially in the
339
cerebral cortex. These findings provide useful insight on the biochemical processes by which soy
340
proteins and peptides may promote good health in the elderly.
341
342
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
343
This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and
344
Technology of Japan KAKENHI (Grant No. 15K07426); the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry,
345
and Fisheries of Japan (Integration research for agriculture and interdisciplinary fields); and Fuji
346
Oil Holdings Inc. (Osaka, Japan).
347
348
Notes
349
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
350
351
References
352
(1)
353
supplementation on the aging process. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2007, 2, 377.
354
(2)
Fusco, D.; Colloca, G.; Monaco, M. R. L.; Cesari, M. Effects of antioxidant
Ferrari, C. K. Functional foods and physical activities in health promotion of aging people. 18 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 18 of 34
Page 19 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
355
Maturitas. 2007, 58, 327-39.
356
(3)
357
cognitive function. Nutr. Clin. Care. 2001, 4, 156-67.
358
(4)
359
and disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2014, 15, 771-85.
360
(5)
361
Bernoud-Hubac, N. The pleiotropic effects of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid on the hallmarks of
362
Alzheimer's disease. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry. 2016, 38, 1-11.
363
(6)
364
“natural drugs” for promotion of resilience against stress-induced depression and cognitive
365
impairment. Neuromolecular Med. 2016, 18, 487-95.
366
(7)
367
supplementation up-regulates HSP70 and suppresses cognitive decline in a mouse model of
368
accelerated senescence. Journal of Functional Foods. 2018, 44, 292-8.
369
(8)
370
N.; Raftery, D.; Arrieta-Cruz, I. Brain-targeted proanthocyanidin metabolites for Alzheimer's
371
disease treatment. Journal of Neuroscience. 2012, 32, 5144-50.
372
(9)
373
Neurogenesis and neural plasticity, Springer: 2013; pp 117-36.
374
(10) Szuhany, K. L.; Bugatti, M.; Otto, M. W. A meta-analytic review of the effects of exercise
Nicolas, A. S.; Nourhashemi, L. F.; Lanzmann‐Petithory, D.; Vellas, B. Nutrition and
Bazinet, R. P.; Layé, S. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and their metabolites in brain function
Belkouch, M.; Hachem, M.; Elgot, A.; Van, A. L.; Picq, M.; Guichardant, M.; Lagarde, M.;
Ward, L.; Pasinetti, G. M. Recommendations for development of botanical polyphenols as
Kushimoto, S. U., Y.; Yanai, S.; Makabe, H.; Nakamura, S.; Katayama, S. Kale
Wang, J.; Ferruzzi, M. G.; Ho, L.; Blount, J.; Janle, E. M.; Gong, B.; Pan, Y.; Gowda, G.
Gómez-Palacio-Schjetnan, A.; Escobar, M. L., Neurotrophins and synaptic plasticity. In
19 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
375
on brain-derived neurotrophic factor. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2015, 60, 56-64.
376
(11) Maejima, H.; Kanemura, N.; Kokubun, T.; Murata, K.; Takayanagi, K. Effects of aging
377
and treadmill exercise on cognitive function and the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus.
378
The FASEB Journal. 2017, 31, 1020.5-.5.
379
(12) Yamada, A.; Mizushige, T.; Kanamoto, R.; Ohinata, K. Identification of novel β‐
380
lactoglobulin‐derived peptides, wheylin‐1 and‐2, having anxiolytic‐like activity in mice.
381
Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2014, 58, 353-8.
382
(13) Katayama, S.; Imai, R.; Sugiyama, H.; Nakamura, S. Oral Administration of Soy Peptides
383
Suppresses Cognitive Decline by Induction of Neurotrophic Factors in SAMP8 Mice. J. Agric.
384
Food Chem. 2014, 62, 3563-9.
385
(14) Mitani, T.; Watanabe, S.; Yoshioka, Y.; Katayama, S.; Nakamura, S.; Ashida, H.
386
Theobromine suppresses adipogenesis through enhancement of CCAAT-enhancer-binding
387
protein β degradation by adenosine receptor A1. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta
388
(BBA)-Molecular Cell Research. 2017, 1864, 2438-48.
389
(15) Nakashima, E. M.; Qing, H.-Q.; Tanaka, M.; Matsui, T. Improved detection of di-peptides
390
by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonate
391
conversion. Biosci., Biotechnol., Biochem. 2013, 77, 2094-9.
392
(16) Hanh, V. T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Maebuchi, M.; Nakamori, T.; Tanaka, M.; Matsui, T.
393
Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis of dipeptides in protein hydrolysate by a TNBS
394
derivatization-aided standard addition method. Food Chem. 2016, 190, 345-50. 20 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 20 of 34
Page 21 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
395
(17) MdC, C.-A.; Kazim, S.; Grundke-Iqbal, I.; Iqbal, K. Neurogenic and neurotrophic effects
396
of BDNF peptides in mouse hippocampal primary neuronal cell cultures. PLoS One. 2013, 8,
397
e53596.
398
(18) Yamada, K.; Nabeshima, T. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB signaling in memory
399
processes. J. Pharmacol. Sci. 2003, 91, 267-70.
400
(19) Schratt, G. M.; Nigh, E. A.; Chen, W. G.; Hu, L.; Greenberg, M. E. BDNF regulates the
401
translation
402
rapamycin-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway during neuronal development. J.
403
Neurosci. 2004, 24, 7366-77.
404
(20) Massa, S. M.; Yang, T.; Xie, Y.; Shi, J.; Bilgen, M.; Joyce, J. N.; Nehama, D.; Rajadas, J.;
405
Longo, F. M. Small molecule BDNF mimetics activate TrkB signaling and prevent neuronal
406
degeneration in rodents. J Clin Invest. 2010, 120, 1774.
407
(21) Yamada, K.; Mizuno, M.; Nabeshima, T. Role for brain-derived neurotrophic factor in
408
learning and memory. Life Sci. 2002, 70, 735-44.
409
(22) Nagappan, G.; Zaitsev, E.; Senatorov, V. V.; Yang, J.; Hempstead, B. L.; Lu, B. Control of
410
extracellular cleavage of ProBDNF by high frequency neuronal activity. Proceedings of the
411
National Academy of Sciences. 2009, 106, 1267-72.
412
(23) Baral, S.; Pariyar, R.; Kim, J.; Lee, H.-S.; Seo, J. Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide promotes the
413
proliferation and migration of neural stem cells. Neurobiol. Aging. 2017, 52, 39-52.
414
(24) Zhang, Z.; Liu, X.; Schroeder, J. P.; Chan, C.-B.; Song, M.; Yu, S. P.; Weinshenker, D.; Ye,
of
a
select
group
of
mRNAs
by
21 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
a
mammalian
target
of
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
415
K. 7, 8-dihydroxyflavone prevents synaptic loss and memory deficits in a mouse model of
416
Alzheimer’s disease. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014, 39, 638-50.
417
(25) Xi, Y.-D.; Ding, J.; Han, J.; Zhang, D.-D.; Liu, J.-M.; Feng, L.-l.; Xiao, R. The effect of
418
soybean isoflavone on the dysregulation of NMDA receptor signaling pathway induced by
419
β-amyloid peptides 1-42 in rats. Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. 2015, 35, 555-62.
420
(26) Chatterjee, G.; Roy, D.; Khemka, V. K.; Chattopadhyay, M.; Chakrabarti, S. Genistein, the
421
isoflavone in soybean, causes amyloid beta peptide accumulation in human neuroblastoma cell
422
line: implications in Alzheimer’s disease. Aging Dis. 2015, 6, 456.
22 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 22 of 34
Page 23 of 34
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
423
FIGURE CAPTIONS
424
Figure 1. Effect of treatment with soybean protein hydrolysate (SPH) on brain-derived
425
neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in primary cultured astrocytes. (A) Western blot
426
analysis and quantification of proBDNF and mBDNF expression levels in the astrocyte lysates
427
treated with SPH (0.5 or 1 mg/mL). (B) Relative luciferase activity, reflecting CREB
428
phosphorylation levels, in primary astrocytes treated with different concentrations of SPH.
429
Values are expressed as mean ± SD, n = 3. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by
430
Dunnett’s post hoc tests. *p