Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a kind of natural invigorant with a long history of consumption in Asia, especially in China. EBN is formed by mixing the saliva of swiftlets (Aerodramus) with feathers and other components during the breeding season. Proteins are the most important nutrient in EBN. By studying proteins in EBN, we can not only elucidate their components at the molecular level, but also study their bioactivities. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the proteins in EBN. Previous research on the proteins in EBN was preliminary and cursory, and no one has summarized and analyzed the proteins in EBN and correlated the bioactivities of these proteins with the biological functions of EBN. This article focused on the proteins in EBN, listed the proteins identified in different proteomic studies, and introduced the sources, structures and bioactivities of the most frequently identified proteins, including acidic mammalian chitinase, lysyl oxidase homolog 3, mucin-5AC, ovoinhibitor, nucleobindin-2, calcium-binding protein (MW: 4.5 × 104) and glucose-regulated protein (MW: 7.8 × 104). The properties of these proteins are closely related to the bioactivities of EBN. Therefore, this article can provide inspiration for further research on the efficacy of EBN.
关键词:
酸性哺乳动物几丁质酶;生物活性;食用燕窝;赖氨酰氧化酶同源物3;粘蛋白5AC;蛋白质
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This work is financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2022-ct03). The authors are thankful to Yingzhi Fu from Beijing Xiaoxiandun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. for providing the EBN photos.
Man Yuan a, Xiaoxian Lin a, Dongliang Wang a, b,*, Jianye Dai a, b,*. Proteins: Neglected active ingredients in edible bird's nest[J]. Chinese Herbal Medicines (CHM),2023,15(3):383-390
