Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic activities of the sweet-tasting protein brazzein

  • Food Chem. 2018 Nov 30:267:163-169. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.06.084.
Ju-Hee Chung  1 ,  Ji-Na Kong  2 ,  Hyo-Eun Choi  3 ,  Kwang-Hoon Kong  4
Affiliations
  • 1. Biomolecular Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chung-Ang University, 84, Huksuk-Ro, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2. Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 3. Biomolecular Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chung-Ang University, 84, Huksuk-Ro, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 4. Biomolecular Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chung-Ang University, 84, Huksuk-Ro, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 29934152 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.06.084
Abstract

Sweet-tasting proteins may be useful as low-calorie sugar substitutes in foods, beverages, and medicines. Brazzein is an attractive sweetener because of its high sweetness, sugar-like taste, and good stability at high temperature and wide pH ranges. To investigate the bioactivities of brazzein, the Antibacterial, Antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic activities were determined in vitro. Brazzein showed no Antibacterial and Antifungal activities, although it showed approximately 45% or greater similarity to defensin, which has antimicrobial effects, and drosomycin, which is used as an Antifungal agent. However, brazzein exhibited strong antioxidant effects, showing ABTS radical scavenging activity (IC50=12.55μM) and DPPH activity (IC50>30μM). Brazzein also showed anti-inflammatory activity and anti-allergic activity in a β-hexosaminidase assay (IC50>15μM) and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition assay (IC50=12.62μM), respectively. These results suggest that brazzein has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic activities and considerable potential as a functional sweetener.

Keywords
Anti-allergic effect; Anti-inflammatory activity; Antioxidant activity; Brazzein; Functional sweetener; Sweet tasting protein.
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