Selenopeptide with antioxidant and anticancer activities from Se-enriched Wolffia globosa: fractionation, isolation and identification

Bioactive selenopeptides derived from plant materials represent promising candidates for development as plant-derived bioactive agents for applications in health and agriculture. Wolffia globosa, a protein-rich, rootless aquatic plant, has the ability to absorb selenium (Se) from water and synthesize selenopeptide. The study aimed to extract selenoprotein using Osborne fractionation and enzymatic hydrolyzed to produce seleopeptide from Se-enriched W. globosa. Subsequently, the antioxidant and anticancer activities of these selenopeptides were evaluated, and their amino acid sequences were identified. The results indicated that seleno-albumin (SePA) and seleno-glutelin (SePG) are the major fractions derived from selenoproteins in Se-enriched W. globosa, with Se contents of 181.40 and 112.64 μg Se/g protein, respectively. The selenopeptides showed significant antioxidant properties through DPPH (55.90 and 50.75 %), ABTS (54.70 and 44.59 %), FRAP (6.61 and 4.42 mg TE/g) and ORAC (251.21 and 259.39 mg TE/g) radical scavenging assay. Additionally, they exhibited notable anticancer effects against cervical cancer cells (C33A, SiHa) and lung cancer cells (A549), reducing cell viability to below 60 % at 500 μg/mL concentration. Importantly, the selenium-enriched peptides from W. globosa exhibited superior biological activities compared to Se-free peptides, suggesting their potential applications as functional ingredients in the food and pharmaceutical industries.