Peptides are beneficial amino acid compounds that have numerous functions in the human body. They also serve as templates for the production of a variety of medical drugs and dietary supplements. The usefulness of peptides varies based on its industrial application, and the chemical compound it is used to produce—as seen in the different variations of recombinant human scf.
Types of Peptides
There are five main ways of categorizing peptides. This categorization is based on the number of amino acids that make up the peptide chain.
According to this categorization, we have five types of peptides; Oligopeptides, Polypeptides, Dipeptides, Tripeptides, and Tetrapeptides. Oligopeptides are peptides with few amino acid chains, while polypeptides are long chains of around 20 to 50 amino acids. Dipeptides peptides, like the name implies, contain just two amino acids, while the tripeptides and tetrapeptides have three and four amino acids, respectively.
Functions Of Peptides In The Human Body
Peptides play a lot of essential roles in the proper functioning of the body. Some important peptides in the human body include Vasopressin, Oxytocin, Defensins, and Angiotensins. Vasopressin is an antidiuretic hormone, a peptide hormone that is secreted in the brain’s hypothalamus. It helps to regulate the quantity of water that is present in the cell’s fluid space.
Oxytocin is another important peptide hormone made up of nine amino acids. It is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and serves some essential functions during childbirth. It ensures that the uterus can contract during birth, which is very important. It also plays a critical role in breast milk flow. Defensins and Angiotensins are also beneficial peptides that aid protection against infections and aging, respectively.
Dietary Supplements
Peptides are regularly used for the production of health supplements because of the numerous health benefits they offer. For instance, the substance collagen is an essential material in the formation of the human cartilages, bones, and skin. Peptides are part of the components that make collagen. These collagen peptide supplements are beneficial for producing skin-enhancing dietary supplements. The supplements help improve hydration and elasticity for the skin. They also improve the collagen density in the skin dermis layer.
Some dietary supplements that contain peptides are used to treat wounds—proving the wound healing potentials of peptides. Collagen, for example, is used for dressing wounds, burns, and other kinds of injuries. Peptides are effective for wound treatments because they can promote the production of the skin’s extracellular matrix while rebuilding and restoring the skin.
Some dietary supplements containing peptides are essential for the treatment of microbial infections. These nutritional supplements are effective against several types of infections. They also contribute to the regeneration of skin cells.
Drug Production
Peptides are used for the production of many drugs and medical supplements. They possess antithrombotic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial potentials, which prove valuable in medicine. In the United States and many parts of the world, there are close to a hundred peptide drugs that have been approved for the treatment of medical conditions. The peptide that is used in medicine can either be synthetic or naturally occurring.
There are many health conditions that peptides help treat. For example, vasopressin, made with peptides, is a drug for the treatment of diabetes insipidus. This drug can also be used for the management of hormonal deficiencies like antidiuretic hormone deficiency. Drugs containing peptides can be created to treat illnesses like brain ischemia, Alzheimer's, schistosomiasis, Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. A lot of drug manufacturing companies also make use of a dipeptide which is also a natural antioxidant called carnosine, in the production of some supplements. Carnosine is found in the skin, heart, kidneys, brain, gut, and muscles.
Cosmetics
Peptides have significant anti-aging benefits that many cosmetic companies capitalize on. Lots of skincare products and topical creams formulations contain a certain percentage of peptides. They help improve the condition of the skin and also help repair photo-damaged skin.
Peptides play crucial roles in the human body as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. The roles it plays in the survival of the human race can not be understated. Peptides can help treat many medical conditions and are required for the management of some health issues. They also have lots of nutritional value and are widely used in the cosmetic industry.
However, before going ahead to use peptides for the treatment of a particular health condition or as nutritional supplements, it is best to consult a professional in the respective field of need.