It is known that eggs and egg components are frequently used for foods with high palatability; however, the effects of egg-derived molecules on emotional behavior have been largely unknown. We used the elevated plus-maze test in mice to investigate whether peptide derived from ovalbumin, a major egg white protein, has anxiolytic-like activity. We then found that a pentapeptide released from ovalbumin by trypsin exhibits potent anxiolytic-like activity with intraperitoneal and oral administration at a low dose comparable to diazepam, a general anxiolytic drug. Indeed, tryptic digest of ovalbumin exhibits anxiolytic-like activity after oral administration. In this review, we summarize the egg-derived molecules having anxiolytic-like activity. In addition, the mechanism underlying the anxiolytic-like activity of egg white-derived peptide was compared with previously described anxiolytic molecules.
