Protective effect of aquacultured flounder fish-derived peptide against oxidative stress in zebrafish

• The antioxidant peptide (Cys-Ala-Ala-Pro) was purified from flounder fish hydrolysate.
• AFFP showed a protective effect against ROS induced in zebrafish model by AAPH.
• AFFP is useful as a potential natural antioxidant against oxidative stress in a fish.

This study investigates the protective effect of aquacultured flounder fish-derived peptide (AFFP) against 2,2-azobis-(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH)-induced oxidative damage in a zebrafish model. Zebrafish embryos were evaluated for the protective effect by heartbeat rate, survival rate, ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, and cell death. In the results, the AAPH group showed a low survival rate, whereas the AFFP and AAPH co-treated group increased a survival rate. Also, AFFP dose-dependently reduced AAPH-induced intracellular ROS and lipid peroxidation, and decreased cell death in AAPH-induced zebrafish. These results revealed that AFFP could be used as a natural antioxidant, and that the zebrafish provides an alternative in vivo model to efficiently evaluate the antioxidative effects of peptides on fishes.