Abstract

We evaluated the influence of peptides from chicken embryo extracts on probiotic bacteria. We separated from Humanofort, an extract from chicken embryos standardized in embryo peptides, two peptides fractions, one with a more significant anti-oxidant activity (F1) and other one which exert also a growth stimulation effect on probiotic bacteria (F2). The anti- oxidant peptides fraction protect probiotic bacterial strains from two genera, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, against (nitro)oxidative stress induced by (micro)aerobic conditions. The peptides fraction which include growth factors stimulate the development of probiotic bacteria, especially under anaerobic conditions. We proposed two different physiological mechanisms involved into beneficial effects on human health of orally ingested chicken embryo / partially incubated hen eggs: a direct one, resulted from the intestinal absorption of peptides with anti- oxidant and growth factors activity, and an in-direct, mediated one, due to an enhanced post- biotic effect of probiotic microbiome.