Antibiotic resistance is increasing and new strategies are needed to fight infection. Advanced materials are promising tools that can be combined with innovative alternatives to conventional antibiotics to allow more targeted and efficient treatment. In this work, we explored the activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) of the α-helical antimicrobial peptide (AMP) MSI-78(4-20) (KFLKKAKKFGKAFVKIL) when covalently bound to a chitosan coating. The AMP MSI-78(4-20) (17 mer) is an improved version of its parent MSI-78 (22 mer; commercially known as Pexiganan), a cost-effective short AMP, which was demonstrated to be as effective as MSI-78 and less toxic to eukaryotic cells. An MSI-78(4-20)–chitosan coating could be applied in several infection scenarios, ranging from bone implants to wound dressings, as chitosan possesses osteoconductive and hemostatic properties. Cysteine-modified MSI-78(4-20) was covalently immobilized onto the chitosan coating through a succinimidyl-[(N-maleimidopropionamido)-octaethyleneglycol] ester (SM(PEG)₈), a heterobifuncional crosslinker, with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester and maleimide groups, by its N- and C- termini. The MSI-78(4-20)–chitosan coating demonstrated bactericidal properties independently of the tethering site and an improved performance in the presence of plasma proteins, which mimics conditions that will be encountered in vivo. This AMP–chitosan coating has therefore great potential for applications in medical devices such as implants or even wound dressings. Full article

Regeneration and wound healing are vital to tissue homeostasis and organism survival. One of the biggest challenges of today’s science and medicine is finding methods and factors to stimulate these processes in the human body. Effective solutions to promote regenerative responses will accelerate advances in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, transplantology, and a number of other clinical specialties. In this study, we assessed the potential efficacy of a synthetic hexapeptide, RDKVYR, for the stimulation of tissue repair and wound healing. The hexapeptide is marketed under the name “Imunofan” (IM) as an immunostimulant. IM displayed stability in aqueous solutions, while in plasma it was rapidly bound by albumins. Structural analyses demonstrated the conformational flexibility of the peptide. Tests in human fibroblast and keratinocyte cell lines showed that IM exerted a statistically significant (p < 0.05) pro-proliferative activity (30–40% and 20–50% increase in proliferation of fibroblast and keratinocytes, respectively), revealed no cytotoxicity over a vast range of concentrations (p < 0.05), and had no allergic properties. IM was found to induce significant transcriptional responses, such as enhanced activity of genes involved in active DNA demethylation (p < 0.05) in fibroblasts and activation of genes involved in immune responses, migration, and chemotaxis in adipose-derived stem cells derived from surgery donors. Experiments in a model of ear pinna injury in mice indicated that IM moderately promoted tissue repair (8% in BALB/c and 36% in C57BL/6 in comparison to control). Full article

Natural compounds of various origins are intensively investigated for their antitumor activity. Potential benefits of antitumor therapy can be achieved when cytotoxic agents kill cancer cells and these dying cancer cells drive adoptive immunity to the tumor. This strategy was successfully demonstrated for chemotherapeutic drugs that induce immunogenic type of cell death (ICD) with release of DAMPs (danger associated molecular patterns) and exposure of “eat me” signals. In this study, we demonstrated that recombinant human milk peptide lactaptin (RL2) induces death of cancer cells with ICD hallmarks in vitro with the release of ATP and high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) and exposure of calreticulin and HSP70 on the external cell membrane. RL2-treated cancer cells were efficiently engulfed by phagocytic cells. Using the syngeneic mouse model, we demonstrated that RL2-treated MX-7 rhabdomyosarcoma cells confer long-term immune-mediated protection against challenge with live MX-7 cells. We also analyzed the combinatorial antitumor effect of vaccination with RL2-treated cells and the inhibition of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) with ethyl pyruvate. Compared to solo anti-tumor immunization with RL2-treated cells, additional chemical inhibition of IDO demonstrated better long-term antitumor responses than vaccination alone. Full article

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced enteropathy is considered a serious and increasing clinical problem without available treatment. Glycomacropeptide (GMP) is a 64-amino acid peptide derived from milk κ-casein with numerous biological activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of GMP on NSAID enteropathy in rats. Enteropathy was induced by seven days oral indomethacin administration. Rats were orally GMP treated from seven days previous and during the establishment of the enteropathy model. Changes in metabolism, hematological and biochemical blood alterations, intestinal inflammation and oxidative damage were analyzed. Integrity barrier markers, macroscopic intestinal damage and survival rate were also evaluated. GMP treatment prevented anorexia and weight loss in animals. Furthermore, prophylaxis with GMP ameliorated the decline in hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin and total protein levels. The treatment had no therapeutic efficacy on the decrease of occludin and mucin (MUC)-2 expression in intestinal tissue. However, GMP markedly decreased neutrophil infiltration, and CXCL1, interleukin-1β and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. Nitric oxide production and lipid hydroperoxide level in the small intestine were also diminished. These beneficial effects were mirrored by preventing ulcer development and increasing animal survival. These results suggest that GMP may protect against NSAID enteropathy through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Full article

Bovine bone collagen hydrolysates promote bone formation through regulating bone growth. However, the peptide sequences within these isolates have not been characterized. In this study, twenty-nine peptides from bovine bone collagen hydrolysates were purified and identified using nano-HPLC-MS-MS and Peak Studio analysis. HHGDQGAPGAVGPAGPRGPAGPSGPAGKDGR (Deamidation) and GPAGANGDRGEAGPAGPAGPAGPR (Deamidation) enhanced cell viability, inhibited apoptosis, and significantly altered the cell cycle of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. These peptides were selected to perform molecular docking analysis to examine the mechanism underlying these bioactivities. Molecular docking analysis showed that these two peptides formed hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to activate the EGFR-signaling pathway, which may explain their bioactivity. These findings indicate that these and other similar peptides might be candidates for the treatment of osteoporosis. Full article

The addictive nature of nicotine is likely the most significant reason for the continued prevalence of tobacco smoking despite the widespread reports of its negative health effects. Nicotine vaccines are an alternative to the currently available smoking cessation treatments, which have limited efficacy. However, the nicotine hapten is non-immunogenic, and successful vaccine formulations to treat nicotine addiction require both effective adjuvants and delivery systems. The immunomodulatory properties of short, non-natural peptide sequences not found in human systems and their ability to improve vaccine efficacy continue to be reported. The aim of this study was to determine if small “non-natural peptides,” as part of a conjugate nicotine vaccine, could improve immune responses. Four peptides were synthesized via solid phase methodology, purified, and characterized. Ex vivo plasma stability studies using RP-HPLC confirmed that the peptides were not subject to proteolytic degradation. The peptides were formulated into conjugate nicotine vaccine candidates along with a bacterial derived adjuvant vaccine delivery system and chitosan as a stabilizing compound. Formulations were tested in vitro in a dendritic cell line to determine the combination that would elicit the greatest 1L-1β response using ELISAs. Three of the peptides were able to enhance the cytokine response above that induced by the adjuvant delivery system alone. In vivo vaccination studies in BALB/c mice demonstrated that the best immune response, as measured by nicotine-specific antibody levels, was elicited from the conjugate vaccine structure, which included the peptide, as well as the other components. Isotype analyses highlighted that the peptide was able to shift immune response toward being more humorally dominant. Overall, the results have implications for the use of non-natural peptides as adjuvants not only for the development of a nicotine vaccine but also for use with other addictive substances and conventional vaccination targets as well. Full article

In this study, genetic engineering was applied to the overexpression of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) cecropin B2 (cecB2). pTWIN1 vector with a chitin-binding domain (CBD) and an auto-cleavage Ssp DnaB intein (INT) was coupled to the cecB2 to form a fusion protein construct and expressed via Escherichia coli ER2566. The cecB2 was obtained via the INT cleavage reaction, which was highly related to its adjacent amino acids. Three oligopeptide cleavage variants (OCVs), i.e., GRA, CRA, and SRA, were used as the inserts located at the C-terminus of the INT to facilitate the cleavage reaction. SRA showed the most efficient performance in accelerating the INT self-cleavage reaction. In addition, in order to treat the INT as a biocatalyst, a first-order rate equation was applied to fit the INT cleavage reaction. A possible inference was proposed for the INT cleavage promotion with varied OCVs using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The production and purification via the CBD-INT-SRA-cecB2 fusion protein resulted in a cecB2 yield of 58.7 mg/L with antimicrobial activity. Full article

As opposed to small molecules, macrocyclic peptides possess a large surface area and are recognised as promising candidates to selectively treat diseases by disrupting specific protein–protein interactions (PPIs). Due to the difficulty in predicting cyclopeptide conformations in solution, the de novo design of bioactive cyclopeptides remains significantly challenging. In this study, we used the combination of conformational analyses and molecular docking studies to design a new cyclopeptide inhibitor of the interaction between the human tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and its receptor TNFR-1. This interaction is a key in mediating the inflammatory response to tissue injury and infection in humans, and it is also an important causative factor of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. The solution state NMR structure of the cyclopeptide was determined, which helped to deduce its mode of interaction with TNFα. TNFα sensor cells were used to evaluate the biological activity of the peptide. Full article

Oral administration of bovine collagen peptide (CP) combined with calcium citrate (CC) has been found to inhibit bone loss in ovariectomized rats. However, the protective effects of CP and CP–CC against bone loss have not been investigated in a tail-suspension simulated microgravity (SMG) rat model. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 40) were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8): a control group with normal gravity, a SMG control group, and three SMG groups that underwent once-daily gastric gavage with CP (750 mg/kg body weight), CC (75 mg/kg body weight) or CP–CC (750 and 75 mg/kg body weight, respectively) for 28 days. After sacrifice, the femurs were analyzed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, three-point bending mechanical tests, microcomputed tomography, and serum bone metabolic markers. Neither CP nor CP–CC treatment significantly inhibited bone loss in SMG rats, as assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and three-point bending mechanical tests. However, both CP and CP–CC treatment were associated with partial prevention of the hind limb unloading-induced deterioration of bone microarchitecture, as demonstrated by improvements in trabecular number and trabecular separation. CP–CC treatment increased serum osteocalcin levels. Dietary supplementation with CP or CP–CC may represent an adjunct strategy to reduce the risk of fracture in astronauts. Full article

Recently, we disclosed primaquine cell penetrating peptide conjugates that were more potent than parent primaquine against liver stage Plasmodium parasites and non-toxic to hepatocytes. The same strategy was now applied to the blood-stage antimalarial chloroquine, using a wide set of peptides, including TP10, a cell penetrating peptide with intrinsic antiplasmodial activity. Chloroquine-TP10 conjugates displaying higher antiplasmodial activity than the parent TP10 peptide were identified, at the cost of an increased hemolytic activity, which was further confirmed for their primaquine analogues. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry suggest that these drug-peptide conjugates strongly bind, and likely destroy, erythrocyte membranes. Taken together, the results herein reported put forward that coupling antimalarial aminoquinolines to cell penetrating peptides delivers hemolytic conjugates. Hence, despite their widely reported advantages as carriers for many different types of cargo, from small drugs to biomacromolecules, cell penetrating peptides seem unsuitable for safe intracellular delivery of antimalarial aminoquinolines due to hemolysis issues. This highlights the relevance of paying attention to hemolytic effects of cell penetrating peptide-drug conjugates. Full article

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) represents one of the most studied tumor-associated antigens for cancer immunotherapy. The receptors for HER2 are overexpressed in various human cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer. The relatively low expression of this antigen on normal tissues makes it a clinically useful molecular target for tumor imaging and targeted therapy. HER2 overexpression is correlated with aggressive tumor behavior and poor clinical outcomes. Thus, HER2 has become an important prognostic and predictive factor, as well as a potential molecular target. Due to the heterogeneity of breast cancer and possible discordance in HER2 status between primary tumors and distant metastases, assessment of HER2 expression by noninvasive imaging is important. Molecular imaging of HER2 expression may provide essential prognostic and predictive information concerning disseminated cancer and aid in the selection of an optimal therapy. Another tumor-specific antigen is MUC1, which is silent on normal tissues, but overexpressed in almost all human epithelial cell cancers, including >90% of human breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colorectal, lung, prostate, and gastric cancers and is a promising tumor antigen with diagnostic as well as the therapeutic potential of cancer. Radiolabeled small peptide ligands are attractive as probes for molecular imaging, as they reach and bind the target receptor efficiently and clear from blood and non-target organs faster than bulky antibodies. In this study, HER2 and MUC1-based peptides were synthesized and preclinically evaluated in an effort to develop peptide-based SPECT radiopharmaceuticals derived from tumor-associated antigens for the detection of breast cancer. Our findings demonstrate that the tumor antigen peptides radiolabeled efficiently with ^99mTc and showed high metabolic stability in human plasma in vitro. The data from breast tumor cell binding confirmed the high affinity (in low nanomolar range) towards respective breast cancer cell lines. In healthy mice, ^99mTc-labeled peptides displayed favorable pharmacokinetics, with high excretion by the renal system. In tumor xenografts nude mice models, good uptake by the SKBR3, MCF7, and T47D tumors were found, with good tumor-to-blood and tumor to muscle ratios. Additionally, tumor lesions can be seen in γ-camera imaging. Our data suggest that based on its ability to detect HER2- and MUC1-positive breast cancer cells in vivo, ^99mTc-HER2 and ^99mTc-MUC1-targeted peptides may be promising tumor imaging probes and warrant further investigation. Full article

Monoclonal antibodies with high affinity and specificity are essential for research and clinical purposes, yet remain difficult to produce. Agretope peptides that can potentiate antigen-specific antibody production have been reported recently. Here, we screened in silico for peptides with higher affinity against the agretope binding pocket in the MHC-II. The screening was based on the 3D crystal structure of a complex between MHC-II and a 14-mer peptide consisting of ovalbumin residues 323–339. Using this 14-mer peptide as template, we constructed a library of candidate peptides and screened for those that bound tightly to MHC-II. Peptide sequences that exhibited a higher binding affinity than the original ovalbumin peptide were identified. The peptide with the highest binding affinity was synthesized and its ability to boost antigen-specific antibody production in vivo and in vitro was assessed. In both cases, antigen-specific IgG antibody production was potentiated. Monoclonal antibodies were established by in vitro immunization using this peptide as immunostimulant, confirming the usefulness of such screened peptides for monoclonal antibody production. Full article

Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia represents a serious and increasing clinical problem due to the high mortality and treatment failures because of high rates of antibiotic resistance. Any additional new therapies for A. baumannii bacteremia would address a growing unmet medical need. ARV-1502 (designated as Chex1-Arg20 or A3-APO monomer in prior publications) is a designer proline-rich antimicrobial peptide chaperone protein inhibitor derived from insects and has demonstrated potent activity against multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. In the current studies, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of ARV-1502 administered intravenously (iv) alone and in combination with imipenem/cilastatin (IPM/CIL) in a mouse bacteremia model due to a MDR clinical A. baumannii strain, HUMC1. All ARV-1502 regimens (1.25, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) significantly reduced bacterial density in the target tissues in a dose-dependent manner, as compared to the untreated control and IPM/CIL monotherapy (40 mg/kg) groups in the model. In addition, ARV-1502 treatment, even at the lowest dose, significantly improved survival vs. the control and IPM alone groups. As expected, IMP/CIL monotherapy had no therapeutic efficacy in the model, since the HUMC1 strain was resistant to IMP in vitro. However, the combination of ARV-1502 and IPM/CIL significantly enhanced the efficacy of ARV-1502, except the lowest dose of ARV-1502. The superior efficacy of ARV-1502 in the bacteremia model caused by MDR A. baumannii provides further support for studying this compound in severe infections caused by other MDR Gram-positive and -negative pathogens. Full article

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex-interacting multifunctional protein 1 (AIMP1)-derived peptide (AdP) has been developed as a cosmeceutical ingredient for skin anti-aging given its fibroblast-activating (FA) and melanocyte-inhibiting (MI) functions. However, a suitable strategy for the topical delivery of AdP was required due to its low-permeable properties. In this study, FA and MI domains of AdP (FA-AdP and MI-AdP, respectively) were determined by functional domain mapping, where the activities of several fragments of AdP on fibroblast and melanocyte were tested, and a hydrosol-based topical delivery system for these AdP fragments was prepared. The excipient composition of the hydrosol was optimized to maximize the viscosity and drying rate by using Box-Behnken design. The artificial skin deposition of FA-AdP-loaded hydrosol was evaluated using Keshary-Chien diffusion cells equipped with Strat-M membrane (STM). The quantification of the fluorescent dye-tagged FA-AdP in STM was carried out by near-infrared fluorescence imaging. The optimized hydrosol showed 127-fold higher peptide deposition in STM than free FA-AdP (p < 0.05). This work suggests that FA- and MI-AdP are active-domains for anti-wrinkle and whitening activities, respectively, and the hydrosol could be used as a promising cosmetic formulation for the delivery of AdPs to the skin. Full article

The objective of this study was to identify novel acetylation (Ac) modifications of the C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) and explain the association of the levels of autoantibodies against acetylated C1-INH peptides with the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Ac modifications of the C1-INH were identified and validated through in-gel digestion, nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting by using serum protein samples obtained from patients with SLE and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). In addition, the levels of serum C1-INH, Ac-protein adducts, and autoantibodies against unmodified and acetylated C1-INH peptides were measured. C1-INH levels in patients with SLE were significantly lower than those in HCs by 1.53-fold (p = 0.0008); however, Ac-protein adduct concentrations in patients with SLE were significantly higher than those in HCs by 1.35-fold (p = 0.0009). Moreover, immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-C1-INH^367–385 Ac and IgA anti-C1-INH^367–385 Ac levels in patients with SLE were significantly lower than those in HCs. The low levels of IgM anti-C1-INH^367–385 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.725, p < 0.001), IgM anti-C1-INH^367–385 Ac (OR = 4.089, p = 0.001), and IgA anti-C1-INH^367–385 Ac (OR = 5.566, p < 0.001) indicated increased risks for the development of SLE compared with HCs. Full article

Melittin (MEL) is a 26-amino acid peptide with numerous biological activities. Paraquat (PQ) is one of the most widely used herbicides, although it is extremely toxic to humans. To date, PQ poisoning has no effective treatment, and therefore the current study aimed to assess for the first time the possible effects of MEL on PQ-induced lung injuries in mice. Mice received a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of PQ (30 mg/kg), followed by IP treatment with MEL (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) twice per week for four consecutive weeks. Histological alterations, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in the lungs were studied. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining indicated that MEL markedly reduced lung injuries induced by PQ. Furthermore, treatment with MEL increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in lung tissue homogenates. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining showed that B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and survivin expressions were upregulated after MEL treatment, while Ki-67 expression was downregulated. The high dose of MEL was more effective than the low dose in all experiments. In summary, MEL efficiently reduced PQ-induced lung injuries in mice. Specific pharmacological examinations are required to determine the effectiveness of MEL in cases of human PQ poisoning. Full article

Enfuvirtide (T20) is the first U.S. FDA-approved HIV fusion inhibitor-based anti-HIV drug. Its clinical application is limited because of its low potency and short half-life. We previously reported that peptide HP23-E6-IDL, containing both N- and C-terminal anchor-tails, exhibited stronger potency and a better resistance profile than T20. Here we designed an analogous peptide, YIK, by introducing a mutation, T639I, and then a lipopeptide, YIK-C16, by adding palmitic acid (C16) at the C-terminus of YIK. We found that YIK-C16 was 4.4- and 3.6-fold more potent than HP23-E6-IDL and YIK against HIV-1_IIIB infection and 13.3- and 10.5-fold more effective than HP23-E6-IDL and YIK against HIV-1_Bal infection, respectively. Consistently, the ex vivo anti-HIV-1_IIIB activity, as determined by the highest dilution-fold of the serum causing 50% inhibition of HIV-1 infection, of YIK-C16 in the sera of pretreated mice was remarkably higher than that of YIK or HP23-E6-IDL. The serum half-life (t_1/2 = 5.9 h) of YIK-C16 was also significantly longer than that of YIK (t_1/2 = 1.3 h) and HP23-E6-IDL (t_1/2 = 1.0 h). These results suggest that the lipopeptide YIK-C16 shows promise for further development as a new anti-HIV drug with improved anti-HIV-1 activity and a prolonged half-life. Full article

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of ginseng oligopeptides (GOPs). For the anti-inflammatory activity, dextran-induced paw edema and granuloma models were used in Sprague-Dawley rats (180–200 g, 12 weeks old, n = 10). Rats were treated orally with GOPs (0, 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) for prophylaxis. In the granuloma model, the levels of NO, Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin IL-β, and interleukin IL-10 in serum were evaluated. In addition, in the edema model, the level of TNF-α, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), Leukotriene D4 (LTD4), and the platelet activating factor (RAF) in paw tissue were detected. PCR assessed the effect of GOPs on the expression of MAPK and NF-κB. The results showed that oral administration of GOPs inhibited inflammation caused by cotton pellet and dextran. GOPs significantly inhibited the edema formation via MAPK and NF-κB. These findings suggested that GOPs have a beneficial effect on acute and chronic inflammation, and the mechanism possibly mediated by inhibiting gene expression involved in inflammation and downregulating inflammatory mediators. Full article

The study was aimed to determine whether treatment with oat oligopeptides (OOPs) could modulate hyperglycemia related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. Diabetic SD rats modeling by a joint effect of high-calorie diet for 45 days and twice intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg streptozotocin at one-week interval were observed with or without OOPs administration (0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00 g/kg Body Weight) for 12 weeks. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose test tolerance (OGTT), serum insulin, level of antioxidant, and hepatic enzymes were measured. In addition, frequency of micturition was recorded in this study for the first time. It was observed that the administration of OOPs (2.00 g/kg Body Weight) resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in FBG since 6th week and a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the OGTT-AUC on 6th and 10th week. In addition, the administration of OOPs (2.00 g/kg Body Weight) reduced HOMA-IR index and 24-h urine volume significantly (p < 0.05) whereas increased SOD activity significantly (p < 0.05). These results suggested that OOPs may have a hypoglycemic effect in diabetic rats. Full article

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is unique for its extensive biological activities and pharmaceutical properties. There are few studies on walnut oligopeptides (WOPs), which are small molecule peptides extracted from walnuts. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-fatigue effects of WOPs on ICR mice and explore the possible underlying mechanism. Mice were randomly divided into four experimental sets and each set of mice were then randomly divided into four groups. The vehicle group was administered distilled water, and the three WOP intervention groups were orally administered WOP solution at a dose of 110, 220, and 440 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. After 30 days of WOP intervention, the anti-fatigue activity of WOPs were evaluated using the weight-loaded swimming test and by measuring the change of biochemical parameters, glycogen storage and energy metabolism enzymes, anti-oxidative capacity and mitochondrial function. It was observed that WOPs could significantly prolong the swimming time, decrease the accumulation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood lactic acid (BLA), and increased the glycogen storage of liver and gastrocnemius muscle. WOPs also markedly inhibited fatigue induced oxidative stress by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and decreasing the content malondialdehyde (MDA). Notably, WOPs improved the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), Na+-K+-ATPase, and enhanced the mRNA expression of mitochondrial biogenesis factors and mitochondrial DNA content in skeletal muscles of mice. These results suggest that WOPs have beneficial anti-fatigue effects, which may be attributed to their positive effects on increasing glycogen storage, improving energy metabolism, inhibiting oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle, and ameliorating the cell damage and the muscular injury. Full article

The call for health-promoting nutraceuticals and functional foods containing bioactive compounds is growing. Among the great diversity of functional phytochemicals, polyphenols and, more recently, bioactive peptides have stood out as functional compounds. The amount of an ingested nutrient able to reach the bloodstream and exert the biological activity is a critical factor, and is affected by several factors, such as food components and food processing. This can lead to unclaimed interactions and/or reactions between bioactive compounds, which is particularly important for these bioactive compounds, since some polyphenols are widely known for their ability to interact and/or precipitate proteins/peptides. This review focuses on this important topic, addressing how these interactions could affect molecules digestion, absorption, metabolism and (biological)function. At the end, it is evidenced that further research is needed to understand the true effect of polyphenol-bioactive peptide interactions on overall health outcomes. Full article

Overweight and obesity are among the most prominent health problems in the modern world, mostly because they are either associated with or increase the risk of other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and/or cancer. Most professional organizations define overweight and obesity according to individual body–mass index (BMI, weight in kilograms divided by height squared in meters). Overweight is defined as individuals with BMI from 25 to 29, and obesity as individuals with BMI ≥30. Obesity is the result of genetic, behavioral, environmental, physiological, social, and cultural factors that result in energy imbalance and promote excessive fat deposition. Despite all the knowledge concerning the pathophysiology of obesity, which is considered a disease, none of the existing treatments alone or in combination can normalize blood glucose concentration and prevent debilitating complications from obesity. This review discusses some new perspectives for overweight and obesity treatments, including the use of the new orally active cannabinoid peptide Pep19, the advantage of which is the absence of undesired central nervous system effects usually experienced with other cannabinoids. Full article

Venom from mammals, amphibians, snakes, arachnids, sea anemones and insects provides diverse sources of peptides with different potential medical applications. Several of these peptides have already been converted into drugs and some are still in the clinical phase. Diabetes type 2 is one of the diseases with the highest mortality rate worldwide, requiring specific attention. Diverse drugs are available (e.g., Sulfonylureas) for effective treatment, but with several adverse secondary effects, most of them related to the low specificity of these compounds to the target. In this context, the search for specific and high-affinity compounds for the management of this metabolic disease is growing. Toxins isolated from animal venom have high specificity and affinity for different molecular targets, of which the most important are ion channels. This review will present an overview about the electrical activity of the ion channels present in pancreatic β cells that are involved in the insulin secretion process, in addition to the diversity of peptides that can interact and modulate the electrical activity of pancreatic β cells. The importance of prospecting bioactive peptides for therapeutic use is also reinforced. Full article