Projects in Food Bioactives Factor Lab

Gut Health and Immunity – Food Bioactives

Small-intestine epithelial cells are the primary site of absorption of nutrients such as glucose and amino acids. Absorption through the intestine requires such molecules to cross two distinct membranes: (1) take up by the epithelial cells from the lumen across the brush-border membranes (BBMs), (2) followed by transfer to the blood across the basolateral membranes. Pancreatic proteases, small brush-border proteases, and peptidases digest proteins of dietary or endogeneous origin to release short-chain peptides and free amino acids. A growing body of scientific evidence in the past decade has revealed that many food proteins and peptides exhibit specific biological activities in addition to their established nutritional value. Bioactive peptides are specific protein fragments that positively impact body function or condition and ultimately may influence human health.  
 

1. Molecular Allerogology of food allergens
Food allergy is one of the most problematic issues of health concerns. Our laboratory is examining molecular approaches to the studies of egg allergens to answer the question “What makes an allergen and why?” and to develop novel approaches to prevent egg allergy.
 
Current research projects
1.1. Molecular allergology of egg allergens (Ovomucoid and Ovalbumin)
1.2. Antigen-specific immunotherapies.
1.3. Modulation of Th1/Th2 associated cytokines and T-regulatory cells

 
2. Anti-tissue oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory peptides/amino acids
Oxidative stress occurs when the production of damaging free radicals and other oxidative molecules exceeds the capacity of the body’s antioxidant defences to detoxify them. The gut inflammatory response is a highly regulated physiological process that is critically important. Thus, gut oxidative stress and inflammatory damages are underlying factors implicated in the cause of a vast variety of human disorders, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and ischemia-reperfusion, as well as in the ageing process Our lab is exploring in finding natural bio-functional peptides and amino acids and its mechanism of cell signaling and regulation of transcriptional factors. Our lab is using nutrigenomic and proteomics approaches to achieve our goals.
 
Current project
  2.1.    Molecular targets of anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory induced cell signaling.     
  2.2.    Dietary peptide and amino acid-based interventions to prevent chronic inflammation

 
3. Intestinal absorption of bioactive peptides
The small intestinal mucosa is a layer of epithelia compartmentalized into villi and crypt regions. The transepithelial transport of oligopeptides across intestinal epithelial cells has attracted considerable interest in investigations into how biologically active peptides express diverse physiological functions in the body. There are three possible mechanisms for the intestinal transport of oligopeptides: (1) PEP 1-mediated transcellular transport for di- and tripeptides, (2) a transcytotic route, which is known to be used for the transport of macromolecules such as proteins, and (3) intracellular passive transport for peptide absorption. However, the role of these pathways in intestinal oligopeptide absorption is not yet fully understood, with the mechanism for oligopeptide transport across the intestinal epithelial apical membrane still being obscure. Our lab is exploring the research to understand the mechanism of transport of bioactive peptides.
 
Projects
3.1. Mechanisms of epithelial transport of bioactive peptides