蛋清源小肽的协同抗氧化作用是指不同小肽之间因存在协同作用而比单独小肽具有更强的抗氧化活性。鉴于蛋清源抗氧化肽虽被广泛研究和应用，但一般抗氧化肽长度大于3个氨基酸，不易被完整吸收，难以真正在体内发挥作用，而可被完整吸收的小肽总体数量有限，其活性亦不被普遍关注，因此研究蛋清源小肽的协同抗氧化作用对蛋品加工有重要意义。本项目从蛋清源小肽着手，基于核转录因子（Nrf2）/抗氧化反应元件（ARE）信号通路研究小肽的协同抗氧化作用，明确蛋清源小肽协同抗氧化作用对Nrf2及其下游抗氧化蛋白的影响，并通过研究蛋清源小肽协同抗氧化作用对Nrf2-Keap1的抑制作用和分子模拟，揭示蛋清源小肽基于Nrf2/ARE信号通路的协同抗氧化分子机制，明确蛋清源小肽的结构与协同抗氧化作用之间关系。通过本项目研究，可在分子水平上为蛋清源小肽的协同抗氧化作用提供佐证，为蛋清源协同抗氧化小肽的科学研究和加工应用奠定理论基础。

Synergistic antioxidant effect of egg white small peptides refers to the presence of synergies between different small peptides with a stronger antioxidant activity than individual small peptides. Egg white antioxidant peptides have been widely studied and used. However, given the current length of general antioxidant peptides is more than three amino acids, which cannot easily be absorbed intact, it is difficult to truly play an role of antioxidant in vivo. Besides, the overall number of the small peptides that may be completely absorbed is so limited that its antioxidant activity is not commonly concerned. Thus the study of small peptides synergistic antioxidant effect is important in egg processing industry. Based on the synergistic antioxidant effect of small peptides via Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, this project starts from egg white small peptides, to study the egg white small peptides and their synergistic effect on nuclear transcription factor Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant protein levels. The egg white small peptides' anti-oxidation inhibition for Nrf2-Keap1 is conducted with fluorescence polarization assays, and the molecular simulation of the inhibiting effects is processed using molecular docking method, to reveal the molecular mechanisms of anti-oxidation for the egg white small peptides and their synergistic effect via Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. The relational model between small peptides' structure and synergistic antioxidant activity is constructed using amino acid descriptors, to clear the QSAR of egg white antioxidant small peptides via Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. Through the research of this project, it will provide convincing evidences on molecular level for the Nrf2-based synergistic antioxidant egg white small peptides, and contribute to the research and application of egg white antioxidant small peptides.