Novel antioxidant peptides from Yak bones collagen enhanced the capacities of antiaging and antioxidant in Caenorhabditis elegans

Two novel collagen peptides derived from Yak bones, UU1 (GASGPMGPR) and K7 (GLPGPM) were demonstrated to be antioxidative in vitro and in Caenorhabditis elegans. In vitro, UU1 and K7 shown decent scavenging activities on free radicals of DPPH, ABTS, ·OH and ·O–2. Their effects on worms, including the lifespans, locomotory behavior, and reproduction were further evaluated. Whether under normal or thermal conditions, UU1 and K7 extended the survival time accordingly, and promoted the reproduction. Additionally, UU1 and K7 remarkably attenuated the accumulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in worms. Furthermore, both UU1 and K7 impressively upregulated the expressions of daf-16, sod-3 and skn-1, but their effects on the hsf-1 and the sir-2.1 were distinct. Thus, UU1 and K7 two highly active antioxidant peptides were revealed and could be applied in antioxidant productions.