Title: Application of Peptides in the Medical and Health Fields Keyword: peptide, peptide in health, peptide application Summary: Peptide is a kind of compound whose molecular structure is between amino acid and protein. It is formed by one or more amino acids in a certain order through peptide bond. Actually, it's like a chain, threaded together by amino acids. Peptides are the structural fragments that make up proteins, as well as the active functional groups of proteins. They are important substances for metabolism and regulation in the human body. Proteins are mainly absorbed in the form of peptides, which not only allow for in-depth study of protein properties, but also provide basic materials for altering and synthesizing new proteins. Studying the relationship between peptide structure and function helps to understand the efficacy of various amino acid series in peptides, in order to design peptides as short as possible while improving their physiological activity and reducing clinical adverse reactions. Classification of peptide synthesis There are two main pathways for peptide synthesis: chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Chemical synthesis is mainly achieved through amino acid condensation reactions. The chemical synthesis of peptides can be divided into solid-phase synthesis and liquid-phase synthesis, with the main difference being whether solid-phase carriers are used. Peptide chemical synthesis method The chemical synthesis method has significant advantages in synthesizing peptides containing less than 50 amino acids, and the development of its production technology has greatly promoted the development of peptide drugs. The peptide solid-phase synthesis method simplifies the post-processing operation of each step of the reaction, with advantages such as high yield and automation. However, the disadvantage is that the intermediate products in each step cannot be purified, and the final products must be purified through reliable separation methods. Currently, over 90% of the peptide drugs developed and marketed are chemically synthesized. By using custom peptide synthesis , this peptide development project can be accurately completed within time. The liquid phase synthesis method is a classic synthesis method that mainly adopts two strategies: gradual synthesis and fragment condensation. The former is faster and commonly used for the synthesis of various bioactive peptide fragments, while the latter is suitable for the synthesis of peptides containing more than 100 amino acids. Multiple bioactive peptides have been successfully synthesized, and its biggest feature is easy purification. In terms of biosynthesis of peptides, in addition to commonly used fermentation methods and enzymatic hydrolysis, with the development of biotechnology, DNA recombination technology has been applied to synthesize peptides. DNA recombination technology Gene recombination technology is to construct the gene sequence of polypeptide onto a vector to form a recombinant DNA expression vector, and to express, extract and purify polypeptide molecules in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. This method is suitable for preparing target peptides composed of more than 50 amino acids and is relatively easy to obtain. With the improvement of the technology for producing peptides through genetic engineering, the development and clinical application of genetic engineering peptide drugs have been accelerated Global research and development status of peptides Pfizer, Merck, Roche, Eli Lilly, and other large multinational pharmaceutical giants have invested heavily in this field through acquisitions or independent research and development, and multiple new peptide drugs have been launched in recent years. Since 1995, about one-third of the new drugs reviewed by drug regulatory authorities in various countries are peptide or protein drugs. As of now, more than 70 peptide drugs obtained through chemical synthesis or genetic recombination have been approved for marketing worldwide, with over 100 peptide drugs entering clinical trials and over 400 peptide drugs in the preclinical research stage; Among the 128 candidate peptide drugs currently undergoing clinical trials, 40 have entered Phase I clinical trials, 74 have entered Phase I/II or II clinical trials, and 14 have entered Phase II/III or III clinical trials. Peptide drugs in Phase I and II clinical trials dominate the field of metabolic diseases and tumor treatment. Peptide drugs in Phase III clinical studies account for the majority in the treatment of tumors and infectious diseases. Liraglutide: kind of peptide drug which widely used to treat type 2 diabetes Among them, anti-tumor peptide drugs account for over 40%. The peptide drug market has also developed rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 20%, far exceeding the overall 9% annual growth rate of the pharmaceutical market, bringing huge profits to pharmaceutical companies. Application of peptides At present, the application of peptides mainly focuses on peptide drugs, peptide drug carriers, tissue engineering materials, beauty peptides, and peptide nutritional foods. In addition to traditional peptide hormones, the development of peptide drugs has expanded to various fields of disease prevention and control: 1. Peptide drugs Peptide drug prevention of viral infectious diseases such as peptide vaccines, hepatitis, AIDS, etc. Screening cytokine mimic peptides from peptide libraries; Multiple antimicrobial peptides can kill tumor cells; Some small peptides isolated from natural plants can treat cardiovascular diseases; Diagnostic reagents (peptide antigens) have stronger specificity than natural microbial or parasitic protein antigens, are also easy to prepare, and are easy to apply in clinical practice. 1. Peptide drug carriers Peptides can be used as drug carriers, both as modifiers and as the main components of drug carriers The carrier and drug are connected in the form of acid sensitive covalent bond, which can be biodegradable into endogenous substances in nature or human body, and is not easy to produce accumulation and toxic side effects 3. Organizational Engineering Materials Some non bioactive polymer peptides, such as polyaspartic acid, polylysine, polyglutamic acid, etc., have gradually become a promising new type of material in tissue engineering due to their good biocompatibility, controllable biodegradation rate, modifiability, design plasticity, and structural controllability The obtained tissue engineering scaffold material not only facilitates cell recognition but also supports cell growth 4. Cosmetic peptides The aging, wrinkling, and dullness of the skin are caused by various internal and external factors, but the main reason for skin aging is that free radicals in the body disrupt normal cellular behavior and accelerate cell aging. If free radicals can be cleared or suppressed, it can prevent or alleviate skin aging. Peptides, as small molecule protein fragments, have the characteristics of non-toxic, high activity, and easy absorption, which can fundamentally improve a series of skin problems. The commonly used beauty peptides include L-Carnosine, Glutathione, GHK-Cu, Argireline, Matrix, melanotan 2, etc. 4. Peptide nutritional food As a new type of health food, active peptide foods have unique characteristics and functions, and also have many advantages in nutrition. They have broad application prospects in the food industry. According to different sources, active peptide nutritional foods mainly include the following categories: milk protein peptide products, plant peptide products, collagen peptide products, livestock and aquatic peptide products My name is Pengwei Wang , i am in charge of pharmaceutical research and development in our biotech company, and also a nationally registered licensed pharmacist. I have a strong interest in the fields of medicine and health, and I believe that my professional abilities will enable me to help more people.
