Amino Acids, Amino Acid Derivatives and Peptides as Antioxidants

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2022

Authors

Monteiro, LS (Author) Other; Fatima Paiva Martins (Author) FCUP

Book

Title: Lipid Oxidation in Food and Biological Systems: A Physical Chemistry Perspective

Pages: 381-404

ISBN: 9783030872229; 9783030872212

Electronic ISBN: 9783030872229

Indexing

Scopus - 3 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00W-KN7

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-87222-9_17

Abstract (EN): The biological concept of antioxidant refers to any compound that is able to delay or prevent the oxidation of easily oxidizable substrates, such as DNA, proteins and lipids. Epidemiological studies have proven the ability of antioxidants to contain the effects of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and decrease the incidence of cancer, as well as other degenerative diseases.The demand for natural antioxidants has gained great importance in recent years, since some synthetic antioxidants have health risks, mainly liver damage. Phenolic compounds are the most abundant class of natural antioxidants due to their ability to break chains and eliminate radicals, protecting cells from their harmful effects.Phenolic amino acids or amino acids coupled with phenolic or catecholic groups are bioactive substances involved in suppressing the harmful effects caused by oxidative stress, having biological activity such as anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-atherogenic, among others. Studies confirm that the conjugation of amino acids with phenolic acids is useful as a strategy to improve antioxidant efficiency and bioactivity.The mitochondria play a vital role in regulating cellular energy metabolism. Their ability to regulate the redox/oxidative balance is critical in controlling cellular life and death. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction caused by oxidative damage has been implicated in several human pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic syndromes. The development of new therapeutic strategies involving the minimization of mitochondrial dysfunction is of major importance. In fact, great progress has been made in the development and functional testing of mitochondria-targeted molecules. Special attention has been given to small peptides capable of regulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and facilitating mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis. Thus, in the last two decades, many structurally modified peptides with antioxidant properties and improved ability to cross the cell membrane while maintaining low toxicity and immunogenicity have been synthesized and tested. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific