Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Food Funct. 2021 Jan 21;12(2):873-880. doi: 10.1039/d0fo02696d. Epub 2021 Jan 7.
The exponential increase in world population is leading to a need for new sustainable protein sources that could supply the high demands without resulting in an enormous environmental impact. Bioactive peptides from food proteins are currently seen as capable of modulating physiological processes, such as diabetes. The potential of insects as a cheap source of antidiabetic peptides is a recent research topic. In this work, fractionation and identification of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides from mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) was carried out. Peptides from 500 to 1600 Da showed the highest level of DPP-IV inhibition (IC value of 0.91 mg ml) and peptides below 500 Da showed the highest level of α-glucosidase inhibition (IC value of 2.58 mg ml). Numerous novel peptides were identified from the most bioactive fractions, and based on the molecular features usually described for these peptides, some of them are suggested to be the bioactive peptides responsible for the inhibition observed (e.g. APVAH for DPP-IV inhibition and CSR for α-glucosidase inhibition). Hence, these insect protein hydrolysates or their purified fractions could be used as ingredients for regulation of the glycaemic index.
世界人口的指数级增长导致人们需要新的可持续蛋白质来源，这些来源既能满足高需求，又不会对环境造成巨大影响。来自食物蛋白质的生物活性肽目前被认为能够调节生理过程，如糖尿病。昆虫作为廉价的抗糖尿病肽来源是一个最近的研究课题。在这项工作中，对粉虫（Tenebrio molitor）的二肽基肽酶 IV（DPP-IV）和 α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制肽进行了分级和鉴定。500 至 1600 Da 的肽显示出最高水平的 DPP-IV 抑制（IC 值为 0.91 mg ml），而低于 500 Da 的肽显示出最高水平的 α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制（IC 值为 2.58 mg ml）。从最具生物活性的部分鉴定出了许多新的肽，根据通常用于这些肽的分子特征，其中一些被认为是导致观察到的抑制作用的生物活性肽（例如，APVAH 对 DPP-IV 抑制，CSR 对 α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制）。因此，这些昆虫蛋白水解物或其纯化部分可用作调节血糖指数的成分。
