Abstract: To explore the effect of peptides from spherical sea cucumber (Phyllophorus proteus) on the anti-aging and antioxidant activities of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), the physiological and biochemical indicators of C. elegans fed by 0.5, 2.0 and 8.0 mg/mL sea cucumber peptides were determined. The prepared sea cucumber peptides were beige, the L* and b* values of which were 81.28 and 15.88, respectively. The proportion of glutamic acid and glycine in sea cucumber peptides is 19.50% and 15.34%. After being fed by 0.5, 2.0, and 8.0 mg/mL of peptides, the lifespan of C. elegans increased by 22.43%, 54.60%, and 78.89% under normal conditions, respectively, and the lifespan of C. elegans also increased under thermal stress and oxidative stress. The body length of C. elegans was increased significantly by feeding 0.5 mg/mL of peptides, while the swallowing frequency of C. elegans could be significantly increased by feeding 2 mg/mL of peptides. The body bending frequency of C. elegans fed with 0.5 mg/mL and 8 mg/mL of peptides increased by 7.75% and 43.71%, respectively, on the second day of cultivation as compared with the control group. The content of reactive oxygen species in the C. elegans could be reduced significantly by fed sea cucumber peptides, while the antioxidant enzyme activity, reduced glutathione content, and total antioxidant capacity were increased in a dose-dependent manner. The results indicated that sea cucumber peptides can improve physiological function and prolong the lifespan by enhancing the antioxidant capacity of C. elegans.

Key words: Sea cucumber, Enzymolysis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Anti-aging, Antioxidant