Peroxidase-mediated cross-linking of a tyrosine-containing peptide with ferulic acid.

The tyrosine-containing peptide Gly-Tyr-Gly (GYG) was oxidatively cross-linked by horseradish peroxidase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. As products, covalently coupled di- to pentamers of the peptide were identified by LC-MS. Oxidative cross-linking of ferulic acid with horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide resulted in the formation of dehydrodimers. Kinetic studies of conversion rates of either the peptide or ferulic acid revealed conditions that allow formation of heteroadducts of GYG and ferulic acid. To a GYG-containing incubation mixture was added ferulic acid in small aliquots, therewith keeping the molar ratio of the substrates favorable for hetero-cross-linking. This resulted in a predominant product consisting of two ferulic acid molecules dehydrogenatively linked to a single peptide and, furthermore, two ferulic acids linked to peptide oligomers, ranging from dimers to pentamers. Also, mono- and dimers of the peptide were linked to one molecule of ferulic acid. A mechanism explaining the formation of all these products is proposed.

Caseins and casein hydrolysates. 1. Lipoxygenase inhibitory properties.

Whole casein from bovine origin, the different casein subtypes alpha, beta, and kappa, and the related dephosphorylated proteins were assayed as modulators of soybean lipoxygenase 1 activity and were found to inhibit it. To define the lipoxygenase inhibitory domain, whole casein and beta-casein were digested by proteases (trypsin, clostripain, and subtilisin). The beta-casein tryptic digest and the tryptic and subtilisin digests of whole casein retained their inhibitory properties. The tryptic beta-casein digest was the most potent inhibitor of lipoxygenase activity and was further fractionated by FPLC or HPLC. The collected peptides inhibited the lipoxygenase-catalyzed reaction to different extents. The active fractions were analyzed by ESI-MS, and the sequences of several lipoxygenase inhibitory peptides, corresponding mainly to the C-terminal moiety of beta-casein, were identified.

Caseins and casein hydrolysates. 2. Antioxidative properties and relevance to lipoxygenase inhibition.

The antioxidant activity of caseins and casein-derived peptides was evaluated by using three free radical producing reactions-the lipoxygenase- and AAPH-catalyzed oxidation of linoleic acid and the hemoglobin-catalyzed oxidation of linoleic acid hydroperoxide. Caseins and casein-derived peptides were able to inhibit enzymatic and nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation, suggesting they were preferred targets for the free radical intermediates. The antioxidative feature was not lost with the dephosphorylation or the proteolysis of the proteins. The fractionation of the tryptic beta-casein digest yielded peptides with antioxidant activity. A structure-function relationship between the amino acid sequence and the antioxidant capacity and effectiveness is proposed. In addition, indirect evidence suggested that the trapping of free radicals by the proteins/peptides was accompanied by the oxidation of proteins/peptides, according to a sequence-specific mechanism.