Safety Evaluation and Physiological Function of Dietary Balenine Derived From Opah Lampris guttatus on Skeletal Muscle of Mice

Balenine is one of the endogenous imidazole dipeptides, mainly found in the muscle of marine animals. In this study we focused on the safety evaluation and physiological function of dietary balenine derived from opah Lampris guttatus in skeletal muscle of mice. There were no significant differences among different concentrations (0–1%) of balenine diet in the basic data included the weight of body weight, food intake, skeletal muscle and some organs, indicating that less than 1% dietary balenine showed no side effects. The cross-sectional area of myofibers in the group fed a balenine diet was similar to that observed in the group fed a normal diet. In physiological function, supplementation of balenine significantly induced the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4, which are related to mitochondrial biogenesis and lipid metabolism. Moreover, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the skeletal muscle of the group fed a balenine diet was significantly increased, compared with that of the group fed a normal diet, whereas the supplementation of balenine did not affect the mRNA transcription of SODs in skeletal muscle. Our results suggest that dietary balenine contributes to the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism, and SOD activity in skeletal muscle of mice.