Fava bean and pea protein hydrolysates modulate stress responses in C. elegans through different mechanisms

Abstract

The growing global demand for protein, combined with the urgent need for effective strategies to manage conditions such as obesity and diabetes, highlights legume proteins as valuable sources of derived bioactive peptides with health-promoting properties. In this study, we employed the Caenorhabditis elegans model to investigate the effects of supplementation with hydrolysates derived from fava bean and pea protein on healthspan. Supplementation with fava bean and pea protein hydrolysates reduced fat accumulation and age-related lipofuscin pigment in the worms, without impairing their development. The fava bean protein hydrolysate significantly decreased total reactive oxygen species levels and enhanced stress tolerance to juglone exposure, suggesting the modulatory activity of the mitochondrial oxidative stress response. In contrast, pea protein hydrolysate improved the heat stress resistance of C. elegans, and gene expression and mutant analyses revealed the involvement of the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (ER-UPR) pathway in mediating its health-promoting effects. Together, our data demonstrate that fava bean and pea protein hydrolysates support healthspan in C. elegans by modulating distinct cellular stress response pathways and pave the way for further investigation in more complex animal models.