Peptides: properties, uses, pros, cons, safety
Peptides are natural products, protein fragments, consisting of at least two amino acids and have the ability to regulate some physiological processes: immunity, defense, growth, reproduction. In dermatology and cosmetics their use concerns the correct development of pigmentation, the contrast to inflammation and, in the component of the extracellular matrix, they are signal modulators. They have antibiotic, hormonal and neurotransmitter properties so they are used for wound healing, antimicrobial defense, angiogenesis, skin defense as they can disrupt bacterial membranes.
Interesting as a therapeutic modality, however, they are, in principle, impermeable to the cell membrane and, in vivo, susceptible to proteolytic degradation.
Peptides are found in the human organism, wasp venom1, plants, etc.
There are approximately 13,000 natural peptide molecules that are generally divided into
- Short linear ( ≤ 10 residues, unmodified linear peptides are highly unstable2) have low binding affinity and poor resistance to proteolytic degradation. They can be used to develop antibiotics. They exhibit antiviral activity3
- Cyclics (insulin, penicillin. gramicidin, cyclosporin), found in plant families such as Caryophyllaceae, Rutaceae and Linaceae. They are potential therapeutic agents useful in dermatology and cosmeceutical applications.4
- Macrocyclic (carry one or more rings and cover multiple amino acid residues) are produced by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases or ribosome-derived peptides by post-translational enzymatic modifications The macrocyclization procedure enhances the pharmacological properties and bioactivity of the peptides. Macrocyclic peptides are preferred molecular modalities that can be used for diagnosis (e.g., biosensors, glucose sensors), disease treatment (e.g., antimicrobial, cancer therapy), and drug delivery5
- Cyclotides found in several plant families, have good amounts of disulfide, exhibit different biological properties. Structurally, cyclotides share a characteristic circular knotted head-tail topology of three disulfide bonds. This structure provides cyclotides with extraordinary resistance to thermal and chemical denaturation6. Recently, they have received attention for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.
- Circular, researched as scaffolds for drug design as they demonstrate protein-like properties in the context of small, bound peptides7
- Oligopeptides (about 10-20 amino acids) or polypeptides (more than 20 residues) are a group of low molecular weight, highly diverse peptides, and, within them, contain both proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino acids. They are used in dermatology.
For better information I refer to this substantial study written by a large multidisciplinary group of leading scientists, academic and pharmaceutical experts from all continents of the world who provide an invaluable global perspective on short peptides towards biomedical innovations8.
Fish are a relatively recent source of bioactive peptides and proteins used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries for the anti-aging, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the active ingredients. Peptides derived from the marine environment year a broad spectrum of bioactivities: antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, calcium-binding and obesity-controlling9.
