Antioxidant peptides isolated from the marine rotifer,Brachionus rotundiformis

Protein derived from the rotifer Brachionus rotundiformis was hydrolyzed using different proteases (Alcalase, α-chymotrypsin, Neutrase, papain, pepsin and trypsin) for production of antioxidant peptide. Antioxidant activities of hydrolysates were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging activity. Peptic hydrolysate exhibited the highest antioxidative activity compared to other hydrolysates. To identify antioxidant peptides, peptic hydrolysate was purified using consecutive chromatographic methods, and antioxidant peptides were identified to be Leu-Leu-Gly-Pro-Gly-Leu-Thr-Asn-His-Ala (1076 Da), and Asp-Leu-Gly-Leu-Gly-Leu-Pro-Gly-Ala-His (1033 Da) by Q-TOF ESI mass spectroscopy. EC₅₀ values of purified peptides were 189.8 and 167.7 μM, respectively. Antioxidant activities of peptides purified from the rotifer protein hydrolysate were evaluated, with results showing that peptides significantly quenched free radicals.     

ACE inhibitory,hypotensive and antioxidant peptide fractions from Mucuna pruriens proteins

Hydrolysates and peptide fractions obtained from Mucuna pruriens protein concentrate were studied for their angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, hypotensive and antioxidant activities. The hydrolysate obtained by pepsin–pancreatin (HPP) was the most active with an ACE IC₅₀ value of 19.5 μg/mL, a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) value of 102.8 mM/mg and a ferric reducing power (FRP) IC₅₀ of 67.2 μg/mL. At a dose of 5 mg/kg HPP decrease systolic (32.2%) and diastolic (37%) blood pressure in rats more pronounced than Captopril. The peptide fraction <1 kDa from HPP was the most active with an ACE inhibitory of 10.2 μg/mL (IC₅₀), a TEAC value of 709.8 mM/mg and a FRP IC₅₀ of 54.9 μg/mL. These results indicate that the hydrolysates and peptide fractions of M. pruriens would be used as nutraceuticals ingredients for preventing and providing therapy against hypertension and diseases related to oxidative damage.     

A novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide from a marine Chlorella ellipsoidea and its antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Marine Chlorella ellipsoidea protein was hydrolyzed using Protamex, Kojizyme, Neutrase, Flavourzyme, Alcalase, trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, pepsin and papain. Alcalase-proteolytic hydrolysate exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity among them and was fractionated into three ranges of molecular weight (below 5 kDa, 5–10 kDa and above 10 kDa). The below 5 kDa fraction showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity and was used for subsequent purification steps. During consecutive purification, a potent ACE inhibitory peptide from marine C. ellipsoidea, which was composed of 4 amino acids, Val–Glu–Gly–Tyr (MW: 467.2 Da, IC₅₀ value: 128.4 μM), was isolated. Lineweaver–Burk plots suggest that the peptide purified acts as a competitive inhibitor against ACE and stable against gastrointestinal enzymes of pepsin, trypsin and α-chymotrypsin. Furthermore, antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) also revealed that oral administration of purified peptide can decrease systolic blood pressure significantly. The results suggest that marine C. ellipsoidea would be an attractive raw material for the manufacture of antihypertensive nutraceutical ingredients.     

Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from salmon byproduct protein hydrolysate by Alcalase hydrolysis

Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides were produced from salmon byproduct proteins via enzymatic hydrolysis using Alcalase, flavourzyme, neutrase, pepsin, protamex and trypsin. Among them, Alcalase hydrolysate showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity, thus ACE inhibitory peptides were purified using consecutive chromatography. The purified ACE inhibitory peptides were identified to be Val-Trp-Asp-Pro-Pro-Lys-Phe-Asp (P1), Phe-Glu-Asp-Tyr-Val-Pro-Leu-Ser-Cys-Phe (P2), and Phe-Asn-Val-Pro-Leu-Tyr-Glu (P4) by time of flight-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) analysis. The IC₅₀ values against ACE activity were 9.10 μM (P1), 10.77 μM (P2) and 7.72 μM (P4). The inhibition mode of P1, P2 and P4 was analyzed using the Lineweaver–Burk plots, demonstrating P1 to be a non-competitive inhibitor, P2 and P4 having a mixed inhibition mode. Taken together, the salmon byproduct protein hydrolysate and/or its active peptides can be used in foods for its benefits against hypertension and related diseases.     

Evaluation of anti-HCV activity and SAR study of (+)-lycoricidine through targeting of host heat-stress cognate 70 (Hsc70)

The anti hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity of (+)-lycoricidine (1) was evaluated for the first time in this letter, yielding an EC₅₀ value of 0.55 nmol/mL and an selection index (SI) value of 12.72. Further studies indicated that 1 induced this effect by down-regulating host heat-stress cognate 70 (Hsc70) expression. In addition, 20 derivatives were designed and synthesised to investigate the basic structure–activity relationship (SAR) of the title compound. Several of these derivatives exhibit a good inhibition of HCV, such as compound 3 (EC₅₀ = 0.68 nmol/mL, SI = 33.86), compound 2d (EC₅₀ = 15 nmol/mL, SI = 12) and compound 5 (EC₅₀ = 33 nmol/mL, SI >10.91). Meanwhile, the experimental data suggest that the modification of certain groups of (+)-lycoricidine can reduce the cytotoxicity of the compounds.     

A novel bioactive peptide derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of Ruditapes philippinarum: Purification and investigation of its free-radical quenching potential

We purified a novel antioxidant peptide from Ruditapes philippinarum (R. philippinarum) and investigated its free radical scavenging activities. To prepare the peptide, eight proteases were tested for enzymatic hydrolysis. α-chymotrypsin hydrolysate, which showed clearly superior hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (p < 0.05), were further purified using a flow filtration system and consecutive chromatographic methods. Finally, a novel antioxidant peptide was obtained, and the sequence was identified as Ser-Val-Glu-Ile-Gln-Ala-Leu-Cys-Asp-Met. The peptide from R. philippinarum effectively scavenged hydroxyl, DPPH, alkyl and superoxide radicals, with observed IC₅₀ values of 0.042, 0.091, 0.107 and 0.372 mg/ml, respectively. This is the first report of an antioxidant peptide derived from the hydrolysates of R. philippinarum which, further, possesses competitive free radical quenching potential.     

Biological activity from the gelatin hydrolysates of duck skin by-products

In this study, free radical scavengers and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors from the gelatin hyrdolysates of duck skin by-products were examined. Gelatin was obtained by pretreating duck skin by-products with acid and alkaline and hydrolysis using nine proteases (Alcalase, Collaganase, Flavourzyme, Neutrase, Protamex, papain, pepsin, trypsin and α-chymotrypsin). Of the various hydrolysates produced, the pepsin hydrolysate exhibited the highest free radical scavenging activity. The DPPH, hydroxyl and alkyl radical scavenging activity of pepsin was the most prominent with IC₅₀ values of 1.230, 0.554 and 1.193 mg/ml respectively, which were measured using an electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer. However, when the gelatin was hydrolyzed as a combination of two enzymes, Collaganase and pepsin, the DPPH, hydroxyl and alkyl radical scavenging activity increased as the IC₅₀ decreased to 0.632, 0.222 and 0.708 mg/ml, respectively. In addition, the ability of pepsin hydrolysates from the gelatin of duck skin by-products to inhibit oxidative damage to DNA was assessed in vitro by measuring the conversion of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA to the open circular form. The enzymatic hydrolysates from the gelatin of duck skin by-products significantly protected hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage in a dose-dependent manner, while also inhibiting the ACE activity of the α-chymotrypsin hydrolysates.These results indicate that enzymatic hydrolysates from the gelatin of duck skin by-products may be a beneficial ingredient in functional foods and/or pharmaceuticals.     

Preparation of corn gluten hydrolysate with angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activity and its solubility and moisture sorption

This study attempted to prepare a hydrolysate of corn gluten containing powerful ACE inhibitory activity and higher solubility, which could be used as a physiologically functional food material. The digestion of starch at 80 °C resulted in more removal of the starch from the corn gluten than that at 60 °C. More than 95% reducing sugars as enzymic digests of starch was removed by washing three-times. As for the thermal treatment effect on the increase of degree of hydrolysis (DH), degree of increase of protein content (slope) was 6.30 mg/ml min at 100 °C, 4.40 mg/ml min at 80 °C and 2.29 mg/ml min without heat treatment. After 45 min of heat treatment the increased ratio of protein content was greater than those by other heat treatments. After the pretreatment of corn gluten, hydrolysis with Flavourzyme, among six commercial proteases, resulted in the production of the hydrolysate with the highest ACE inhibitory activity, and with Protamax, the second highest ACE inhibitory activity was obtained. Flavourzyme hydrolysate of corn gluten at the 4% level was easily and completely soluble between pH 2 and 9. Water sorption of the hydrolysate slowly increased up to 0.8 of water activity and greatly increased at higher than 0.8 of water activity.     

Isolation of antioxidant constituents from Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum

Species of the family Combretaceae are used extensively in traditional medicine against inflammation and infections, and although antibacterial activity has been reported in non-polar extracts, further rationale for the widespread use of the Combretaceae is expected to exist. Methanol extracts of leaves of ten different Combretum species were evaluated for antioxidant activity by spraying TLC chromatograms of each leaf extract with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Compounds with antioxidant activity were detected by bleaching of the purple DPPH colour. Leaf extracts of Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum had the most antioxidant compounds. This species was consequently selected for phytochemical investigation. A DPPH assay-directed fractionation of the leaf extracts of C. apiculatum led to the isolation of four antioxidant compounds from the ethyl acetate and butanol soluble fractions. The structures of the compounds were determined by spectroscopic analyses (¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and MS) and identified as: cardamonin (1), pinocembrin (2), quercetrin (3) and kaempferol (4). In a quantitative antioxidant assay, the more polar fractions (ethyl acetate and butanol) obtained by solvent–solvent fractionation had the highest antioxidant activity among the solvent fractions obtained from C. apiculatum, with EC₅₀ values of 3.91 ± 0.02 and 2.44 ± 0.02 μg/ml respectively. Of the four isolated compounds, quercetrin (4) and kaempferol (3) had the strongest antioxidant activity, with EC₅₀ values of 11.81 ± 85 and 47.36 ± 0.03 μM respectively. Cardamonin (1) and pinocembrin (2) did not demonstrate strong activity. L-ascorbic acid was used as standard antioxidant agent (EC₅₀ = 13.37 ± 0.20 μM or 2.35 μg/ml). The cytotoxicity of cardamonin and pinocembrin was evaluated on Vero kidney cells using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay with berberine as positive control. At concentrations higher than 50 μg/ml of cardamonin or pinocembrin, the cells were not viable. Cardamonin was more toxic (LC₅₀ = 1.97 μg/ml) than pinocembrin (LC₅₀ = 29.47 μg/ml) and even the positive control, berberine (LC₅₀ = 12.35 μg/ml).     

Antiviral activity of 2,3′-anhydro and related pyrimidine nucleosides against hepatitis B virus

Various 2,3′-anhydro analogs of 5-substituted 1-(2-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl)uracils (10–15) and a related 1-(3-O-mesyl-2-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl) pyrimidine nucleoside analog (18) have been synthesized for evaluation as a new class of potential anti-HBV agents. The compounds 10, 12, and 15 demonstrated most potent anti-HBV activities against duck HBV (DHBV) and human HBV with EC₅₀ values in the range of 2.5–10 and 5–10 μg/mL, respectively, at non-toxic concentrations (CC₅₀ = >200 μg/mL). The nucleoside 18 also demonstrated significant anti-HBV activity against DHBV with an EC₅₀ value of 2.5 μg/mL, however, it was less active against HBV in 2.2.15 cells (EC₅₀ = >10 μg/mL).     

Enhanced antioxidant and antitumor activities of Antrodia cinnamomea cultured with cereal substrates in solid state fermentation

Growing exclusively on stout camphor trees in Taiwan, Antrodia cinnamomea is known for its extraordinary antioxidant and antitumor activities. As an alternative to the limited supply of natural source, cultured A. cinnamomea from solid state or submerged liquid fermentation still offers many of its medicinal effects. To further enhance the production of functional compounds and corresponding activities, oat, wheat, buckwheat and pearl barley were used as substrates for solid state fermentation of A. cinnamomea in this study. Among these cereal-based culturing, the methanol extract of A. cinnamomea mycelia grown on oats showed stronger overall antioxidant properties. EC₅₀ for the antioxidant activity (conjugated diene method), the DPPH radicals scavenging ability and reducing power were estimated to be around 0.57 mg/mL, 1.07 mg/mL and 0.31 mg/mL, respectively. Incubating cultured cells with 150 ppm of the oat-cultured mycelial extract for 24 h greatly reduced the viability of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells to 29% and 76%, while 3T3 normal fibroblasts were virtually unaffected. In general, cereal-based solid state fermentation of A. cinnamomea produced more of the secondary metabolites and their methanolic extracts showed stronger antioxidant and anti-tumor activities than extracts obtained from liquid fermentation at the same concentration.     

The study on microwave assisted enzymatic digestion of ginkgo protein

Microwave-assisted enzymatic digestion (MAED) technique was applied for ginkgo protein digestion with both free and immobilized enzyme. Under the optimized conditions of MAED (0.01 g/mL substrate concentration of bromelain, 4500 U/g enzyme/ginkgo protein, 30 min, 300 W microwave power), a higher digestion rate (7.50%) and a significant increase in antioxidant activity (72.7 mg/g) were obtained in contrast with the conventional methods. With the optimized digestion conditions (0.625% glutaraldehyde (v/v), 0.4 mg/mL initial concentration of bromelain and 4 h of immobilization), the activity and effectiveness factor of immobilized bromelain were respectively 86 U and 81.6%. The results of ginkgo digestion by applying MAED indicated that the digestion rate of immobilized bromelain obtained by MAED method (6.41%) was comparable to that of free bromelain in the conventional digestion (8.13%). In both case with immobilized and free bromelain while applying MAED, a homogeneously abundant distribution of peptide fragments (from 7.863 Da to 5856 Da) and a few different peptide profiles were found. This report brings in conclusion that applying MAED with immobilized enzyme has the potential to obtain the highest number of antioxidant activity peptides.     

Purification,modification and inhibition mechanism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide from silkworm pupa (Bombyx mori) protein hydrolysate

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide from silkworm pupa (Bombyx mori) was purified, modified, as well as inhibition mechanism by using molecular docking analysis. Silkworm pupa protein was hydrolyzed by neutral protease and the obtained hydrolysate was subjected to various types of chromatography to acquire peptide isolate. Then the molecular mass and amino acid sequence of the peptide was determined by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Subsequently, thermal and digestive stability of the peptide were explored through a high temperature processing and a simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Finally, the peptide was modified to smaller peptides and investigated their potentiate activities. Results showed that the peptide from silkworm pupa was determined to be Gly-Asn-Pro-Trp-Met (603.7 Da) with IC₅₀ 21.70 μM. Stability testing showed that ACE inhibitory activities were not significantly changed at temperature from 40 to 80 °C as well as during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The inhibitory activity of four modified peptides were Trp-Trp > Gly-Asn-Pro-Trp-Trp > Asn-Pro-Trp-Trp > Pro-Trp-Trp, and the IC₅₀ of Trp-Trp was 10.76 μM Docking simulation revealed that the inhibitory activity was closely related to the spatial structure of peptide and zinc ions. The purified peptide and four modified peptides may be beneficial as functional food or drug for treating hypertension.     

Variation in polyphenolic profile and in vitro antioxidant activity of eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens L.) leaves following foliar development

Seasonal dynamics in the polyphenolic composition, antioxidant activity, and their relationships during plant development were evaluated for eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens L.) leaves, a traditional herbal medicine of North American natives. With the complementary UHPLC-PDA-ESI-MS³, HPLC-PDA-fingerprint, Folin-Ciocalteau, and n-butanol/HCl assays of methanol-water (75:25, v/v) extracts, the dried leaf samples harvested monthly across the growing season under Polish climate conditions were found rich in structurally diverse polyphenols (149.2–210.7 mg/g DW) including the dominating salicylates (64.6–107.5 mg/g DW), proanthocyanidins (53.0–66.8 mg/g DW), and flavonoids (17.3–25.3 mg/g DW), and the accompanying chlorogenic acid isomers (2.4–4.4 mg/g DW) and simple phenolic acids (0.9–1.1 mg/g DW). Among 28 detected analytes, gaultherin (64.6–107.5 mg/g DW), miquelianin (14.6–21.1 mg/g DW), procyanidin A-type trimer (5.5–9.5 mg/g DW), and (–)-epicatechin (5.8–7.8 mg/g DW) were the most abundant. The phenolic levels and antioxidant activity parameters in the DPPH (EC₅₀, 15.0–18.2 μg DW/mL; 0.95–1.16 mmol Trolox equivalents/g DW) and FRAP (2.3–3.4 mmol Fe ²⁺/g DW; 0.86–1.26 mmol Trolox equivalents/g DW) assays showed parallel seasonal trends with maxima in September and October. As the subsequent correlation studies confirmed the determinative impact of polyphenols on the leaf antioxidant activity and its seasonal fluctuations, the Fall season could be recommended as optimal for harvesting the plant material for medicinal purposes and cost-effective production of natural health products.     

Mechanisms involved in the gastroprotective activity of esculin on acute gastric lesions in mice

This work describes the gastroprotective actions of esculin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin-6-o-glucoside) against indomethacin- or ethanol-induced lesions and verifies the role of nitric oxide, ATP-dependent K⁺ channels, prostaglandins, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and antioxidant effects in the gastroprotective mechanism of esculin in the ethanol-induced gastric lesion model. The intragastric administration of esculin at doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg was able to protect the gastric mucosa against ethanol (0.2 mL/animal p.o.), and esculin at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg protected against indomethacin-induced lesions (20 mg/kg p.o.). Administration of l-NAME (10 mg/kg i.p.), glibenclamide (10 mg/kg i.p.) or indomethacin (10 mg/kg p.o.), but not capsazepine (5 mg/kg p.o.), was able to reduce the gastroprotection promoted by esculin (25 mg/kg) on the ethanol-induced lesions. Measurements of nitrite, a NO metabolite, were increased in the group that was pretreated with esculin. In terms of antioxidant activity as a gastroprotective mechanism of esculin, the results show that pre-treatment with esculin decreased the amount of GSH, increased SOD activity, did not interfere with the CAT activity and decreased both the MPO activity and the MDA amount. In conclusion, pre-treatment with esculin confers significant gastroprotective and antioxidant activity and leads to a reduction in gastric injury; the mechanisms underlying these effects include stimulation of endogenous prostaglandins, nitric oxide synthesis, opening of K_ATP channels and reduction of free radicals or modulation of antioxidant enzyme systems.     

Extraction method for increasing antioxidant activity of raw garlic using steam explosion

Novel extraction method for increasing the antioxidant activity of raw garlic was proposed using steam explosion. Raw garlic was hydrolyzed by high temperature (183–258 °C) and pressure steam (10–45 atm), and then crushed by the rapid decompression. The antioxidant activity of raw garlic treated by steam explosion was higher than that of black garlic, i.e. aging garlic. The lowest EC₅₀ value, i.e. the highest antioxidant activity, of extract from raw garlic was obtained at a steam pressure of 45 atm for a steaming time of 5 min, but the highest amount of phenolic compounds, i.e. 93.7 mg-catechin equiv./g-dry raw garlic, was obtained at a steam pressure of 30 atm for a steaming time of 5 min.     

Effect of modified MRS medium on production and purification of antimicrobial peptide ST4SA produced by Enterococcus mundtii

Highest antimicrobial activity of peptide ST4SA (51,200 AU/mL) was recorded after 14 h of growth in MRS broth with optimal production at pH 6.0 or 6.5. Growth of strain ST4SA in the presence of tryptone, yeast extract, or a combination of the two, yielded 102,400 AU/mL. An increase in production of peptide ST4SA to 102,400 AU/mL was recorded in the presence of 20.0 g/L fructose, but decreased to 25,600 AU/mL in the presence of lactose (20.0 g/L) or mannose (20.0 g/L) as sole carbon source. Lower activity (25,600 AU/mL) was recorded when 2.0 g/L K₂HPO₄ was replaced by 2.0 g/L KH₂PO₄ in MRS broth. An increase of K₂HPO₄ to 10.0 g/L and 20.0 g/L resulted in higher activity (102,400 AU/mL). Addition of glycerol to MRS broth had a negative effect on peptide ST4SA production. Production of peptide ST4SA required the presence of magnesium sulphate, manganese sulphate and 5.0 g/L sodium acetate. Exclusion of tri-ammonium citrate from the medium resulted in reduction of activity to 3,200 AU/mL. Maximum activity (102,400 AU/mL) was recorded in MRS supplemented with 1.0 ppm Vit. C, DL-6,8-thioctic acid or thiamine, respectively. Growth of Listeria ivanovii susbp. ivanovii ATCC 19119 in the presence of peptide ST4SA (12,800 AU/mL) resulted in 99% cell lysis after 18 h. Improved production of peptide ST4SA was recorded in MRS broth (Biolab) pre-treated with Amberlite XAD-1180. Precipitation with ammonium sulphate, followed by gel filtration chromatography, yielded the highest level of peptide ST4SA. This paper describes the partially deproteination of growth medium to facilitate peptide ST4SA purification.     

Studies on the anti-hepatitis C virus activity of newly synthesized tropolone derivatives: Identification of NS3 helicase inhibitors that specifically inhibit subgenomic HCV replication

We synthesized new tropolone derivatives substituted with cyclic amines: piperidine, piperazine or pyrrolidine. The most active anti-helicase compound (IC₅₀ = 3.4 μM), 3,5,7-tri[(4′-methylpiperazin-1′-yl)methyl]tropolone (2), inhibited RNA replication by 50% at 46.9 μM (EC₅₀) and exhibited the lowest cytotoxicity (CC₅₀) >1 mM resulting in a selectivity index (SI = CC₅₀/EC₅₀) >21. The most efficient replication inhibitor, 3,5,7-tri[(4′-methylpiperidin-1′-yl)methyl]tropolone (6), inhibited RNA replication with an EC₅₀ of 32.0 μM and a SI value of 17.4, whereas 3,5,7-tri[(3′-methylpiperidin-1′-yl)methyl]tropolone (7) exhibited a slightly lower activity with an EC₅₀ of 35.6 μM and a SI of 9.8.