Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Peptides derived from Fructus bruceae

Oxidative stress, characterized by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants, contributes to the onset and progression of various chronic diseases. The Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. has long played a role in traditional oriental medicine because it contains several bioactive compounds. Peptides derived from Fructus Bruceae, including Brucin, M-Brucin, and Brucyclin, have been reported to exhibit antibacterial activities; however, data concerning the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these three peptides are limited. This study aims to examine the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the Brucin, M-Brucin, and Brucyclin peptides using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and the inhibition of protein denaturation method, respectively. All three peptides demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which increased in a concentration-dependent manner. The Brucyclin, a cyclic peptide, displayed the strongest DPPH scavenging activity among the peptides studied (p < 0.05). Still, the IC50 value of Brucin was significantly higher than M-Brucin's (p < 0.05). In addition, this study also found that Brucyclin exhibited a greater inhibitory effect on albumin denaturation compared to Brucin and M-Brucin (p < 0.05). Therefore, the above findings showed that these peptides derived from Fructus Bruceae, Brucin, M-Brucin, and Brucyclin exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.