Egg yolk peptides protect brain cells from oxidative stress

As the human lifespan increases, so too does the risk of developing neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety and depression. These disorders are often accompanied by an excess amount of reactive oxygen species, or ROS. ROS are generated in the body throughout normal processes and have their place in a functioning cellular ecosystem; however, when their numbers get too high, problems arise. Hyun-Dong Paik from Konkuk University and his team of researchers use short chains of amino acids found in egg yolk, phosvitin phosphopeptides, to assess the effects of consumable antioxidants in protection against the build-up of oxidative stress in human neuroblastoma cells.

Hyun-Dong Paik and his team's results were published in Food Science of Animal Products on July 1st, 2026.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in excess can lead to oxidative-stress-induced cell death during metabolic processes, in turn having the potential to lead to mutation and protein damage, later leading to various diseases. While human bodies have ways of eliminating some of these oxidants through antioxidant enzymes like catalases, it is often an overwhelming and impossible job once these oxidants start to build up excessively. This is where external forms of antioxidants, taken in through diet or supplementation, can help the process.

Testing occurred on SH-SY-5Y cells using PPP from hydrolyzed, high-temperature mild-pressure (HTMP) treated chicken egg yolk. The hydrolyzing process breaks the large molecules into smaller ones that can more easily be absorbed by the cells. Different agents such as trypsin (T), Multifect 14L (M) and a combination of the two (TM) were studied, as well as a treatment using just the HTMP-treated material. Of these four, HTMP-TM proved itself to show the most promise in reducing ROS.