Work

Mechanistic investigation of a novel albumin peptide intervention for hypoalbuminemia

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Postoperative hypoalbuminemia is common in clinical practice and is closely associated with deterioration of nutritional status and systemic inflammation. To address the limitations of absorption efficiency and sustained efficacy of existing protein supplementation approaches, this study independently developed a novel egg-derived albumin peptide preparation (JASEED ® ) and systematically evaluated its bioactivity and mechanism of action.The preparation was produced using targeted enzymatic hydrolysis and consisted of a mixture of low-molecular-weight bioactive peptides. Molecular weight distribution analysis showed that approximately 75.0% of the peptide fragments were below 1 kDa. In vitro experiments were conducted using an LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage model, demonstrating that JASEED ® significantly inhibited the production of NO and inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, with inhibition rates of 38.11, 7.65, 27.85, and 19.25%, respectively.In the clinical study, a randomized controlled trial was conducted in preoperative patients with hypoalbuminemia. A total of 60 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a conventional treatment control group and an albumin peptide supplementation group ( n = 30 each), with an additional 30 healthy controls. The results showed that after 14 days of intervention, the JASEED group exhibited more significant increases in serum total protein, albumin, hemoglobin, prealbumin, and transferrin levels compared with the control group. Clinical symptoms, including fatigue, appetite, edema, sleep quality, mental status, and physical activity, improved more markedly. Meanwhile, inflammatory markers including CRP, IL-6, and PCT decreased to a greater extent.Mechanistic studies indicated that albumin peptide treatment upregulated hepatic HNF-1α and HGFα expression in zebrafish models, suggesting that it may promote endogenous albumin synthesis by activating hepatic transcriptional regulators. Protein–protein interaction network construction and functional enrichment analysis further supported the central regulatory roles of HNF-1α and HGFα in albumin metabolism and plasma protein transport pathways. Additionally, albumin peptides significantly reduced IL-1β and TNF-α expression, and GO enrichment analysis suggested that the effects may be mediated by inhibition of NF-κB-related inflammatory signaling cascades to ameliorate systemic inflammation. Genome synteny analysis confirmed high conservation of related genes between zebrafish and humans, supporting model reliability.In conclusion, the egg-derived albumin peptide preparation may improve hypoalbuminemia by promoting endogenous albumin synthesis and attenuating inflammatory responses.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-67349-5