Acetone-precipitated zein protein hydrolysates from blue-maize selectively target hepatocellular carcinoma and fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner

Abstract

Herein, we investigated the effects of acetone precipitation on the bioactivity of blue-maize zein hydrolysates (BmapZDH) against hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) and non-tumor cells (fibroblasts). Zein proteins were extracted from blue-maize flour hydrolyzed with Alcalase for 6 h, and the peptide fractions were filtered (<5 KDa). Acetone was used to precipitate flowthroughs overnight, and cell viability was tested using the neutral red uptake method. Acetone precipitation promoted the selection of bioactive BmapZDH. At a dosage of 1500 ng/mL, hepatocarcinoma cells lost 51.9% of their viability after 24 h. When exposed to a 125 ng/mL dose for 48 h, cell viability diminished to 4.3%. Fibroblast viability was alleviated to 77.3% with a 93.75 ng/mL dose. Our findings imply that BmapZDH could be a potential candidate for treating hepatic carcinoma, and its peptide sequences and antibacterial properties should be investigated further.

Keywords

• Zein
• Hydrolysate
• Cancer
• Hepatocarcinoma
• Fibroblasts