Comprehensive Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Whitening Activities of Pearl Shell Peptides in Cell, Drosophila melanogaster, and Zebrafish Models

Abstract:

To further investigate the antioxidant and whitening activities of pearl shell peptides, their antioxidant capacity was assessed in this study using HepG2 cell line and D-galactose-induced Drosophila melanogaster model. Subsequently, their whitening activity was examined using mouse melanoma cells (B16F10) and a zebrafish whitening model. Significant intracellular antioxidant activity was demonstrated (EC50=0.163 mg•mL-1), with 0.2 mg•mL-1 peptides increased the viability of oxidative-damaged cells from 80.99% to 96.55% (P<0.05). Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities significantly increased in D-galactose-treated D. melanogaster (P<0.05), accompanied by reduced malondialdehyde content. For whitening effects, melanin content was significantly decreased by 26.47% in B16F10 cells and 32.33% in zebrafish, with corresponding tyrosinase activity reduction of 29.79% and 56.72%, respectively. The peptide profile was characterized by mass spectrometry, with identified sequences exhibiting strong correlation with bioactivity assessments. These findings collectively establish that pearl shell peptides possess dual antioxidant whitening functionalities, providing a scientific foundation for their development as skin-health promoting nutraceutical ingredients.