Angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory peptide extracted from freshwater zooplankton.

In this study, hydrolysates obtained from the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflonus were investigated for angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides. Freshwater rotifer protein was hydrolyzed using six separate enzymes in a batch reactor. The peptic hydrolysate had the highest ACE inhibitory activity compared to the other hydrolysates. The highest ACE inhibitory peptide was separated using Sephadex G-25 column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 column. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) value of purified ACE inhibitory peptide was 40.01 microg/mL. ACE inhibitory peptide was identified as being seven amino acid residues of Ala-Gln-Gly-Glu-Arg-His-Arg by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. The IC(50) value of purified ACE inhibitory peptide was 47.1 microM, and Lineweaver-Burk plots suggested that the peptide purified from rotifer protein acts as a competitive inhibitor against ACE. The results of this study suggest that peptides derived from freshwater rotifers may be beneficial as antihypertension compounds in functional foods or as pharmaceuticals.