Biological Activity of Plant-Derived Peptides, Hydrolysates and Digests in the Caco-2 Intestinal Epithelial Model: A Systematic Critical Review

Description

Simone Perna and Mattia Di Nunzio ask a pointed question about plant peptide research: did the studies test what the gut would actually meet, in this 2026 review. Peptides from plants are credited with calming inflammation, fighting oxidation, and easing blood pressure and blood sugar, largely from tests on a standard gut-cell model. The trouble is that many studies feed the cells purified or lab-made peptides rather than what digestion truly produces. The review searched two databases and kept thirty-four studies.

Each study's material was sorted by how it was made, from single pure peptides to whole digests. That sorting exposes how much of the field's promise rests on stand-ins. The authors' critique aims at better experiments, not at burying a hopeful field.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13566756