Principal component analysis-guided framework for comparative biological evaluation of fish-based food extracts and biogenic amines using a RAW 264.7 macrophage model

Food-derived biogenic amines (BAs) are important indicators of food quality, and may influence immune responses; however, their potential immunological effects remain poorly understood. This study investigated the inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of nine common biogenic amines, keropok lekor extracts (a Malaysian fish-based snack), and their corresponding BA mixtures using RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nitric oxide (NO) production, TNF-α secretion, and cell viability were quantified and integrated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to characterize inflammatory response profiles. The study demonstrates that tryptamine and spermidine induced relatively stronger pro-inflammatory responses, whereas Keropok lekor extracts clustered separately from the highly inflammatory BAs and exhibited comparatively low inflammatory activity under the experimental conditions evaluated. By integrating multiple inflammatory endpoints into a single multivariate analysis, PCA enabled comparative evaluation of the inflammatory potential of individual biogenic amines and complex food extracts. These findings establish a PCA-guided framework for the comparative biological evaluation of food-derived biogenic amines, and support its future application as a complementary approach in food safety assessment.