Issue 5, 2025

Multi-omics analysis reveals the anti-fatigue mechanism of BCAA-enriched egg white peptides: the role of the gut–muscle axis

Abstract

Bioactive peptides rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are an effective way to alleviate fatigue conditions, but the deep mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated the anti-fatigue effect of branched-chain amino acid-enriched egg white peptides (BEWPs) through the gut–muscle axis by gut bacteria and untargeted metabolomic analyses. The results demonstrated that BEWPs enhanced exercise endurance and strength by also promoting gastrocnemius development in mice. Furthermore, there was a reduction in oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and the accumulation of unexpected metabolites generated under fatigue conditions. The intake of BEWPs increased the abundances of Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, while decreasing the abundance of Bacteroides. BEWPs also regulated the levels of key metabolites in mouse muscles, including L-glutamic acid by arginine biosynthesis and bile secretion pathways. Notably, Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant correlation between these altered metabolites, microbial populations, and indicators of fatigue. In summary, our research demonstrated that BEWPs alleviated fatigue through the gut–muscle axis, which provided new insights into fatigue management and prevention.

Graphical abstract: Multi-omics analysis reveals the anti-fatigue mechanism of BCAA-enriched egg white peptides: the role of the gut–muscle axis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Sep 2024
Accepted
17 Jan 2025
First published
21 Jan 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Food Funct., 2025,16, 1683-1695

Multi-omics analysis reveals the anti-fatigue mechanism of BCAA-enriched egg white peptides: the role of the gut–muscle axis

S. Li, J. Liu, Q. Yang, S. Lyu, Q. Han, M. Fu, Z. Du, X. Liu and T. Zhang, Food Funct., 2025, 16, 1683 DOI: 10.1039/D4FO04220D

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