A large number of by-products generated in the food industry is discarded as waste, especially the residue left after extracting plant resources, which is typically repurposed as fertilizer. In this study, we extracted and purified a new protein, DOP1, from the residue of Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo (D. officinale), and explored the protective effect of DOP1 on alcohol-induced gastric mucosal injury. Its amino acid composition and the stability of secondary structure were measured by amino acid analysis and various spectroscopic methods. The microscopic morphology of DOP1 was observed by electron microscopy and its particle distribution was determined to be in the range of 3.7-5.5 nm. In addition, DOP1 was found to exhibit excellent protective activity against alcohol-induced gastric mucosal injury, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities by in vitro and in vivo activity assays, which may be related to the upregulation of TFF2 through the activation of PPARγ. Intriguingly, DOP1 does not degrade and remains active after being digested by the gastrointestinal tract. From an economic and sustainable perspective, the discovery of DOP1 will provide new opportunities for the enhanced utilization and sustainable development of D. officinale resources.
Keywords: Dendrobium officinale; Digestive stability; Gastric mucosal protection; Protein; Resource recovery; Structure characterization.
Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.