{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T06:14:45Z","timestamp":1771481685379,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771459200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Promoting osteogenesis is a key approach to preventing and improving bone metabolic diseases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study investigated the impact of free amino acid-rich egg yolk protein hydrolysate (Y-PEP) on MC3T3-E1 osteoblast differentiation and mineralization.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Free amino acids in Y-PEP were quantified using a high-speed amino acid analyzer. MC3T3-E1 cells were osteogenically induced with Y-PEP (5\u2013100\u202f\u03bcg\/mL), and cell viability (72\u202fh), alkaline phosphatase activity and collagen synthesis (day 9), as well as calcium deposition and osteocalcin production (day 18) were assessed. Moreover, runt-related transcription factor 2\/osterix mRNA (qRT-PCR) and total\/cytosolic\/nuclear\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      -catenin and \u03b2-catenin phosphorylation (western blot) were measured.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Twenty-one amino acids, including leucine, lysine, arginine, glutamic acid, and valine, were identified and quantified in Y-PEP by comparing retention times and peak areas with amino acid mixture standard solutions. Y-PEP concentrations below 100\u202f\u03bcg\/mL had no impact on MC3T3-E1 osteoblast viability. Y-PEP enhanced osteoblast differentiation markers in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations from 5 to 100 \u03bcg\/mL and promoted mineralization markers in mature osteoblasts dose-dependently at 25\u201350\u202f\u03bcg\/mL. The pro-osteogenic effect of Y-PEP may involve increasing total cellular\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      -catenin levels and promoting \u03b2-catenin nuclear translocation rate to upregulate transcription of osteogenesis-associated genes. The osteogenic activity of Y-PEP may result from the synergistic effects among signal transduction, metabolism, and mineral handling driven by its complex amino acid composition.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Y-PEP can promote osteogenesis in MC3T3-E1 cells and has the potential to serve as a functional food ingredient for preventing or improving metabolic bone diseases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1774605","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T05:24:10Z","timestamp":1771478650000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Free amino acid\u2013rich egg yolk protein hydrolysate promotes osteogenesis of MC3T3-E1 cells association with \u03b2-catenin nuclear translocation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yulong","family":"Zheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, North Sichuan Medical College","place":["Nanchong, China"]},{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition & the Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"ChoYeon","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition & the Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"HyeJi","family":"Hwang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition & the Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Byung-Hak","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medience Co., Ltd.","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sang Jae","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medience Co., Ltd.","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Il-Jun","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition & the Korean Institute of Nutrition, Hallym University","place":["Chuncheon, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"696","DOI":"10.1038\/s41580-020-00279-w","article-title":"Mechanisms of bone development and 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