Cytoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Hydrolysates from Black Soldier Fly (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>)
Kristian Riolo,
Archimede Rotondo,
Giovanna Loredana La Torre,
Ylenia Marino,
Gianluca Antonio Franco,
Rosalia Crupi,
Roberta Fusco,
Rosanna Di Paola,
Sabrina Oliva,
Giuseppe De Marco,
Domenico Savastano,
Salvatore Cuzzocrea,
Enrico Gugliandolo,
Alessia Giannetto
Affiliations
Kristian Riolo
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Archimede Rotondo
Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Giovanna Loredana La Torre
Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Ylenia Marino
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Gianluca Antonio Franco
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Rosalia Crupi
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Roberta Fusco
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Rosanna Di Paola
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Sabrina Oliva
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Giuseppe De Marco
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Domenico Savastano
Progetto Hermetia, Via Eritrea 10, 89013 Gioia Tauro, Italy
Salvatore Cuzzocrea
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
Enrico Gugliandolo
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Alessia Giannetto
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres n. 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, has been recognized as one of the most promising insect species for its ability to valorize organic waste while producing a valuable larval biomass with a great potential as a sustainable source of nutrients, including proteins and bioactive molecules. In the present study, BSF larvae were used to produce and characterize the protein hydrolysates (BPHs) that were then evaluated for their potential biological activity in vitro. The BPHs obtained from the BSF larvae proteins by enzymatic digestion were characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and assessed for their antioxidant activity (BPHs in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 mg/mL) in L-929 cells. Our findings show that BPHs can exert a dose-dependent cytoprotective role against H2O2-iduced oxidative stress in cells. This antioxidant activity relies on the reduction of ROS levels in challenged cells as measured by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, together with the induction and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, as evaluated by qPCR and indirect immunofluorescence analysis, respectively. Overall, our findings on the remarkable biological activity of the BPHs obtained in a large-scale process strongly suggest the application of BPHs as ingredients promoting animal health in feed formulations.
