Perilla seed peptides and their health effects in lab and animal studies
What it found
Perilla seed peptides showed antioxidant, anti-aging, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, gut health, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, organ protective, anticancer, and anti-fatigue effects in lab tests and animal studies.
Most of the evidence comes from cells and animals, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Anti-aging effects
In human skin cells, perilla peptides reduced signs of aging by lowering senescent cells and boosting collagen-related genes. They also protected cells from oxidative stress without harming them.
Blood sugar control
Perilla peptides inhibited enzymes that break down carbohydrates in lab tests. The smallest peptides were most effective at slowing glucose release.
Blood pressure and heart
Perilla peptides blocked an enzyme that raises blood pressure in lab tests. They also acted as antioxidants, which may help protect the heart.
Gut health
In animal studies, perilla peptides increased beneficial gut bacteria and strengthened the gut barrier. They also reduced harmful bacteria linked to metabolic diseases.
Organ protection
In mice and rats, perilla peptides reduced kidney, liver, and testicular damage caused by chemicals. They restored antioxidant enzymes and lowered markers of injury.
Studies in people and animals
Antioxidant activity
Perilla peptides scavenged free radicals in lab tests and protected cells from oxidative damage. In rats, they reduced lipid peroxidation in the liver.
What the authors conclude
- They say perilla peptides show promise as functional food additives and therapeutic agents.
- They call for more research, including clinical trials in people, to confirm their benefits and safety.
How it was done
Perilla seed meal is often discarded or used as animal feed after oil extraction, even though it is rich in protein. The authors wanted to see if peptides made from this waste product could have health benefits and be used in functional foods.
The authors reviewed studies on peptides made from perilla seed meal proteins. These studies used enzymes to break down the proteins, then tested the resulting peptides in lab tests, cells, and animals like mice and rats.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the evidence comes from cells and animals, so it is not known if the same effects would happen in people.
- The review does not include human trials, so it cannot show whether perilla peptides prevent or treat any disease in people.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by This work was financially supported by Youth Project of Shanxi Basic Research Program (202203021222032). (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- North University of China, China
The paper
- Title
- Comprehensive Review of Biological Functions and Therapeutic Potential of Perilla Seed Meal Proteins and Peptides
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Hu Y, Luo H, Netala VR, Li H, Zhang Z, Hou T (2024). Comprehensive Review of Biological Functions and Therapeutic Potential of Perilla Seed Meal Proteins and Peptides. Foods (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/foods14010047Free full textPubMed 39796337DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error