Protective effect of polypeptides from larva of housefly (Musca domestica) on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells

• A polypeptide isolated from larva of housefly (PHNP) was discovered to have antioxidant activity in HepG2 cells.
• PHNP has a protective effect on cell injury, apoptosis, mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential.
• The protective effect is due to PHNP’s ability to scavenge intracellular ROS and elevate antioxidant enzyme activity.
• PHNP might serve as a valuable source of natural antioxidant.

Housefly (Musca domestica) is an important medical insect and its larva is an ideal high protein food source. We isolated from housefly larvae the polypeptides hydrolyzed by neutral protease (PHNP), and investigated the protective effect of PHNP on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. Cells exposed to H2O2 showed a marked decrease in proliferation and intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. H2O2 also caused apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction including mitochondrial fragmentation and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Pretreatment with PHNP at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10 μg/mL blocked these H2O2-induced cellular events in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of PHNP at 10 μg/mL is equal to that of ascorbic acid at 10 μM. In summary, PHNP has a protective effect against H2O2-induced oxidative injury in cells due to its ability to decrease intracellular ROS and elevate antioxidant enzyme activities.