Hazelnut protein-derived peptide LDAPGHR shows anti-inflammatory activity on LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage

There is a great interest in the use of hazelnut proteins as functional food. Although their immunomodulatory activity has been demonstrated, their potential anti-inflammatory activity is scarcely explored. Here, we have investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of a novel peptide Leu-Asp-Ala-Pro-Gly-His-Arg (LDAPGHR) derived from Corylus heterophylla Fisch, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages. The results showed that LDAPGHR exerted effective anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of production and mRNA expression of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. LDAPGHR suppressed (1) iNOS and COX-2 expression at protein and mRNA levels, leading to the consequent decrease in the production of NO and PGE2; (2) phosphorylation and degration of I kappa B alpha, and phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of p65; (3) phosphorylation of the signal proteins (JNK, ERK, and p38). This research proved that LDAPGHR exerted anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activation of NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways, suggesting that it could be an attractive natural ingredient for developing novel functional foods.