Food‐borne marine active peptides have been increasingly used as functional products for postoperative rehabilitation. However, there are still many problems, such as low protein yield and absorption rate. Therefore, the assisted enzymatic hydrolysis process and activity of marine immunoreactive peptides have been the focus of widespread attention. In particular, they are used as natural immunomodulators to improve intestinal microbiota and immune damage. Most peptides are barely digested by the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the immune microenvironment‐damaged intestine. How to make the damaged intestine fully absorb active substances has become an urgent problem to be solved in food distribution. Therefore, the optimization process method is summarized to improve the quality and efficiency, and according to the immune activity mechanism combined with peptide self‐assembly food application, which provides an alternative for the design of functional products. Sustained release of peptide‐derived hydrogels increases their retention time in the body and promotes complete absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. By targeting release and enhancing biologically active functions, peptides avoid enzymatic hydrolysis in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby improving the stability of food‐derived immunoactive peptide delivery. Moreover, with the increasing correlation between food‐borne products and intestinal flora, the active sites of food‐borne immunoactive peptides and metal ion chelating peptides are more conducive to the micro‐regulation of intestinal flora. This review provides an opportunity for food and drug applications and development related to immunotherapy.

Recent evidence highlights the therapeutic potential of Astragali radix-Huaier fermentation products for hyperuricemia treatment, although the dynamics of the fermentation process remain poorly understood. This study employed high-resolution mass spectrometry and untargeted metabolomics for real-time monitoring of chemical components and hypouricemic activity throughout fermentation. The results revealed significant alterations in the chemical composition, with distinct sample separations observed on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. A total of 33 differential components were identified, including 20 flavonoids and 13 saponins, eight of which showed notable changes. Polysaccharides and saponins were found to correlate positively with the uric acid-lowering effect. On day 21, the levels of total polysaccharides and cycloastragenol-6-glucoside, a saponin derivative, peaked, coinciding with the highest hypouricemic activity of the Astragalus fungal fermentation products. This study provides the first evidence of dynamic changes in the chemical profile and pharmacological activity of Astragali radix-Huaier during fermentation, paving the way for optimizing fermentation processes and developing medicinal and dietary products based on Astragali radix.

Introduction: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Guogong Jiu (GGJ) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula that is widely used in clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, the gut microbiota and meta-bolic mechanisms have not been fully studied. The objective of this study was to elucidate the gut microbiota-mediated mechanisms by which GGJ alleviates RA using network phar-macology, metabolomics, and experimental approaches. Methods: A rat model of collagen-induced arthritis was established to assess anti-arthritic effects systemically. The arthritis index, histopathology, inflammatory cytokines, and gut mi-crobiota analysis (16S rRNA) were assessed for their effects. The serum and fecal metabo-lomics were done using UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS/MS. Moreover, network pharmacology and secondary metabolome analysis were used to identify the active herbal components, potential targets, and pathways, which were validated in Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Syno-viocytes (RA-FLS) as well. Results: GGJ improved the symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis. GGJ affected pathways in-volved in amino acid, lipid, and energy metabolism. Moreover, the assessment of gut micro-biota revealed that GGJ helped restore microbial equilibrium by augmenting beneficial bac-teria populations, including Lactobacillus and Alloprevotella, alongside diminishing Prevotella abundance. An integrated analysis identified NF-κB, MAPK, and NRF2 as key targets, which were subsequently validated at the cellular level. Discussion: The multi-omics integration reveals that GGJ exerts its therapeutic effects through coordinated regulation of the gut-joint axis, involving microbiota restoration, meta-bolic reprogramming, and signaling pathways. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the clinical application of GGJ in RA. Conclusion: GGJ is effective in RA through multi-target effects involving modulation of inflammatory signaling pathways, mediation of metabolic reprogramming, and restoration of gut microbiota. The clinical application of GGJ for RA is therefore scientifically supported.