The soybean bioactive peptide VHVV alleviates hypertension-induced renal damage in hypertensive rats via the SIRT1-PGC1α/Nrf2 pathway

Hypertension triggers oxidative stress, causing dysfunction in organs, including the brain, heart, and kidney. In this study, we examined the potential renal benefit of the soybean bioactive peptide VHVV by in silico analysis and in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Sixteen-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats were divided into 3 groups and treated with or without VHVV or captopril. Age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as normotensive control group. The rats were sacrificed after 8 weeks of treatment, and kidneys were analyzed to demonstrate the efficacy of VHVV. In silico analysis confirmed the antihypertensive activity of VHVV. In animal study, VHVV induced antioxidant defense and modulated mitochondrial homeostasis in the hypertensive kidney via SIRT1-PGC1α/Nrf2 pathway. Hence, improvements in renal cells were attributed to the suppression of inflammation and apoptosis, and the architecture of the hypertensive kidney was restored after peptide treatment. Overall, VHVV exhibited therapeutic effects by decreasing renal damage caused by hypertension-induced free radicals.