Summary

High potency, specificity and a good safety profile are the main strengths of bioactive peptides as new and promising therapies that may fill the gap between small molecules and protein drugs. These positive attributes of peptides, along with advances in drug delivery technologies, have contributed to a renewed interest in the discovery, optimization and development of peptides as pharmacological therapy. The entry collection aims to cover all aspects of peptide research in relation to health promotion.

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Entries
Topic Review
3-D structures of Potent Antimicrobial Peptides
Global rise of infections and deaths caused by drug-resistant bacterial pathogens are among the unmet medical needs. In an age of drying pipeline of novel antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are proven to be valid therapeutics modalities.  Direct in vivo applications of many AMPs could be challenging; however, works are demonstrating encouraging results for some of them.
  • 566
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4
Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors can treat type 2 diabetes by slowing GLP-1 degradation to increase insulin secretion. Studies have reported that Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Linum usita-tissimum (flaxseed), and Drymaria diandra, plants rich in Caryophyllaceae-type cyclopeptides and commonly used as herbal or dietary supplements, are effective in controlling blood sugar.
  • 824
  • 28 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Apoptosis-Associated Protein Domains
There are proteins or families of proteins that regulate the caspase activation pathways, namely, the extrinsic or intrinsic pathways, and they are identified depending on their amino acid sequence or homologue. The interactions facilitated by these protein families are driven through protein domains that are linked with the regulation of apoptosis, such as death domains (DDs), caspase recruitment domains (CARDs), death effector domains (DEDs), BCL-2 family proteins and of IAP-family proteins.
  • 677
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Cereal Peptidic Antioxidants in Metabolic Syndrome Prevention
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is presently an alarming public health problem globally. Oxidative stress has been postulated to be strongly correlated with MetS, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Cereals are important staple foods which account for a huge proportion of the human diet. However, owing to recent growing demand and the search for natural antioxidants for the prevention and management of MetS, cereal peptides have gained increasing attention for developing functional ingredients or foods with substantial antioxidant properties. 
  • 464
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Milk Whey Hydrolysates as High Value-Added Natural Polymers
There are two types of milk whey obtained from cheese manufacture: sweet and acid. It retains around 55% of the nutrients of the milk. Milk whey is considered as a waste, creating a critical pollution problem, because 9 L of whey are produced from every 10 L of milk. Some treatments such as hydrolysis by chemical, fermentation process, enzymatic action, and green technologies (ultrasound and thermal treatment) are successful in obtaining peptides from protein whey. Milk whey peptides possess excellent functional properties such as antihypertensive, antiviral, anticancer, immunity, and antioxidant, with benefits in the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, and nervous system.
  • 546
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Heat Shock Proteins
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved stress proteins known as molecular chaperones, which are considered to be cytoplasmic proteins with functions restricted to the intracellular compartment, such as the cytoplasm or cellular organelles. However, an increasing number of observations have shown that HSPs can also be released into the extracellular matrix and can play important roles in the modulation of inflammation and immune responses.
  • 598
  • 20 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Protein Structure Fluctuation
Proteins are indispensable to cellular communication and metabolism. The structure on which cells and tissues are developed is deciphered from proteins. To perform functions, proteins fold into a three-dimensional structural design, which is specific and fundamentally determined by their characteristic sequence of amino acids.
  • 788
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Impact of Rutin on Buckwheat Grain Metabolites
Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) is grown in eastern and central Asia (the Himalayan regions of China, Nepal, Bhutan and India) and in central and eastern Europe (Luxemburg, Germany, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is known for its high concentration of rutin and other phenolic metabolites. Besides the grain, the other aboveground parts of Tartary buckwheat contain rutin as well. After the mixing of the milled buckwheat products with water, the flavonoid quercetin is obtained in the flour–water mixture, a result of rutin degradation by rutinosidase. Heating by hot water or steam inactivates the rutin-degrading enzymes in buckwheat flour and dough. The low buckwheat protein digestibility is due to the high content of phenolic substances. Phenolic compounds have low absorption after food intake, so, after ingestion, they remain for some time in the gastrointestinal tract. They can act in an inhibitory manner on enzymes, degrading proteins and other food constituents. In common and Tartary buckwheat, the rutin and quercetin complexation with protein and starch molecules has an impact on the in vitro digestibility and the appearance of resistant starch and slowly digestible proteins. Slowly digestible starch and proteins are important for the functional and health-promoting properties of buckwheat products. 
  • 830
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Dermal Adipocytes
Adipocytes from the superficial layer of subcutaneous adipose tissue undergo cyclic de- and re-differentiation, which can significantly influence the development of skin inflammation under different cutaneous conditions. This inflammation can be connected with local loading of the reticular dermis with lipids released due to de-differentiation of adipocytes during the catagen phase of the hair follicle cycle. Alternatively, the inflammation parallels a widespread release of cathelicidin, which typically takes place in the anagen phase (especially in the presence of pathogens). Additionally, trans-differentiation of dermal adipocytes into myofibroblasts, which can occur under some pathological conditions, can be responsible for the development of collateral scarring in acne.
  • 382
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Enterocin as a Biopreservative for Raw Meat Products
Food preservation is a method used to handle and treat food products to slow down food spoilage and subsequently reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Nowadays, the demand for natural preservatives over chemical preservatives in food is increasing due to the awareness of consuming healthy food products without the risk of harmful side effects. Thus, the research and development of preservation techniques, referred to as biopreservation, is growing rapidly. In biopreservation methods, microorganisms that are known as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their antimicrobial substances are used to extend shelf life and maintain the nutritional value of foods. Among the most studied LAB are from the genus Enterococcus, which produces a bacteriocin called enterocin. Bacteriocins are ribosomal-synthesized antimicrobial peptides that are capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria that cause spoilage in food. LAB is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) for human consumption. 
  • 699
  • 11 Apr 2022
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