Experimental evaluation of the action of protein hydrolysates and peptides on the activity of HMG-CoA reductase and regulation of lipid metabolism genes

• Grant number: 13/03878-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Maffud Cilli
• Grantee: Ederlan de Souza Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that protein vicilin (7S) isolated from soybean (Glycine max) and cowpea beans (Vigna unguiculata, L.) and adzuki (V. angularis, L.), separately, have an effect on concentrations of cholesterol and its fractions in dyslipidemic rats. Although the mechanism of action is not yet known, we found that there were significant modifications in mRNA expression of different genes and some enzymes associated with lipid metabolism. Recently, various peptides derived from hydrolyzed soybean protein have shown activity similar to that observed in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our proposal aims at investigating the protein hydrolysates derived from these proteins purified 7S, for their capacity to inhibit in vitrothe3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, and the ability to modulate transcription factors of enzymes and receptors involved in lipid metabolism in human liver cell. The in vivo results bring a clear expectation towards the identification of peptides that may present some hypocholesterolemic property, and there by advance in the elucidation of their possible mechanisms of action. In this sense, the Laboratory of Synthesis, Structure and Applications of Peptides and Proteins, with their infrastructure and experience in the identification and synthesis of novel peptides could lead to new alternative agent's hypolipidaemic drugs in the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia