Rueda Julio, Galdeano Carolina Maldonado, Lobo Manuel Oscar, Sammán Norma Cristina
Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Tecnología y Desarrollo social para el NOA (CIITED-CONCIET-UNJu), San Salvador de Jujuy, 4600, Argentina.
Laboratorio de Inmunología, Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA- CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, 4000, Argentina.
Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2025 Feb 22;80(1):73. doi: 10.1007/s11130-025-01324-9.
High-quality protein and bioactive compounds in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) have spotlighted its potential as a functional food ingredient due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. This study investigates the immunomodulatory potential of quinoa protein concentrate (QPC), quinoa protein hydrolysate (QPH), and a quinoa peptide fraction (QPF < 3 kDa) for activating macrophages. QPH was prepared via alcalase hydrolysis of QPC, followed by ultrafiltration (QPF < 3 kDa). In vitro and ex vivo assays on mice peritoneal and spleen macrophages were conducted to evaluate the effect of QPC and QPH on cytotoxicity, cytokine profiles (Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α, Interferon (IFN)-γ), and phagocytic activity of macrophages induced by QPC, QPH and QPF. Results indicated that QPC and QPH showed no cytotoxic effects at protein concentrations ≤ 1000 µg/mL. QPH at1000 µg/mL increased the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α, while increasing IL-10 release, suggesting a balanced immunostimulant response. Furthermore, QPF significantly enhanced phagocytic activity in spleen macrophages, emphasizing its role in systemic immune activation. These findings suggest quinoa-derived proteins and peptides hold promise as functional ingredients for immune health applications.
藜麦（Chenopodium quinoa Willd）中的优质蛋白质和生物活性化合物因其抗氧化、抗炎和免疫调节作用，使其作为功能性食品成分的潜力备受关注。本研究调查了藜麦浓缩蛋白（QPC）、藜麦蛋白水解物（QPH）和一种藜麦肽组分（QPF < 3 kDa）激活巨噬细胞的免疫调节潜力。QPH通过用碱性蛋白酶水解QPC，然后进行超滤（QPF < 3 kDa）制备而成。对小鼠腹腔和脾脏巨噬细胞进行了体外和体内实验，以评估QPC和QPH对细胞毒性、细胞因子谱（白细胞介素（IL）-6、IL-10、肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）-α、干扰素（IFN）-γ）以及由QPC、QPH和QPF诱导的巨噬细胞吞噬活性的影响。结果表明，在蛋白质浓度≤1000 μg/mL时，QPC和QPH未显示出细胞毒性作用。1000 μg/mL的QPH增加了IFN-γ和TNF-α的产生，同时增加了IL-10的释放，表明其具有平衡的免疫刺激反应。此外，QPF显著增强了脾脏巨噬细胞的吞噬活性，突出了其在全身免疫激活中的作用。这些发现表明，源自藜麦的蛋白质和肽有望作为免疫健康应用的功能性成分。
