Arginine-terminated egg white peptide Leu-Phe-Arg (LFR) repairs intestinal barrier damage through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/p70s6k signaling pathway: An analysis combined transcriptomics and proteomics

Arginine demonstrates enhanced tissue repair capabilities, which may help alleviate intestinal barrier damage caused by pharmaceutical agents or other external factors. However, the intestinal barrier repair potential of arginine-terminated egg white peptides remains undetermined. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of Leu-Phe-Arg (LFR) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal barrier damage and elucidated its underlying mechanisms. Following 7-day DSS administration, damage models developed colitis manifestations including weight loss, rectal bleeding , and elevated disease activity index (DAI) scores. Therapeutic intervention with LFR demonstrated significant attenuation of oxidative stress , suppression of inflammatory mediators, and restoration of intestinal barrier integrity. Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed LFR's regulatory effects on colitis-associated pathways and amino acid metabolic networks . Notably, LFR administration downregulated key targets (PI3K, AKT, mTOR , and p70S6K) of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway . These findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the barrier-repairing properties of arginine-terminated bioactive peptides .