Antioxidant peptides in inflammatory and endothelial function

除了为生长和维持提供氨基酸来源外，食物蛋白质还被认为是生物活性多肽的来源，可以影响人类健康，降低疾病风险。抗氧化肽在心血管疾病中的保护作用已被推测，但缺乏确定其保护作用的研究。拟议的研究计划的目的是检验这样一个假设，即从食物蛋白质中提取的抗氧化肽可以改善内皮功能，从而降低心血管疾病的风险。内皮是排列在所有血管和心脏内表面的一层单层细胞，在调节血管张力、调节炎症以及在动脉粥样硬化的发展中发挥着许多关键作用。内皮功能障碍被越来越多地认为是所有心血管危险因素的共同特征，而活性氧的产生增加在确定内皮功能障碍中起着关键作用。这一计划旨在通过促进我们对从食物蛋白质中提取的抗氧化肽在细胞、体外和动物的生理条件下如何发挥作用的基本理解来应对这一挑战。该研究项目的结果还将提高我们对抗氧化肽结构和功能关系的理解。本研究将有助于确定抗氧化肽在血管内皮细胞功能和心血管疾病中的潜在保护作用，从而促进抗氧化肽作为功能食品或营养成分的应用。在加拿大和其他发达国家，心血管疾病是主要的死亡原因，这种应用作为健康饮食的一部分，在降低患心血管疾病的风险以及改善加拿大人的营养状况和健康方面具有巨大的潜力。目前的提议将为培养一名理科硕士、两名博士生和五名本科生提供宝贵的机会，使他们了解生物活性多肽的结构和功能关系。

In addition to providing sources of amino acids for growth and maintenance, food proteins are recognized as a source of bioactive peptides that could affect human health and reduce the risk of diseases. A putative protective role of antioxidant peptides in cardiovascular diseases has been speculated but there is paucity of study to establish their protective roles. The purpose of the proposed research program is to test the hypothesis that antioxidant peptides derived from food proteins may improve endothelial function and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Endothelium, a single layer of cells that lines the inner surface of all blood vessels and the heart, plays many crucial roles in the regulation of vascular tone, modulation of inflammation, and in the development of atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction is increasingly accepted as a common trait of essentially all cardiovascular risk factors while increased production of reactive oxygen species plays a pivotal role in determining endothelial dysfunction. This program aims to tackle the challenge by advancing our fundamental understanding on how antioxidant peptides derived from food proteins might function under physiological conditions in cells, ex vivo and in animals. Outcomes from the research program will also improve our understanding of the structure and function relationships of antioxidant peptides. Knowledge obtained from this research will help to establish the potential protective roles of antioxidant peptides in endothelial function and cardiovascular diseases, and thus facilitate the applications of antioxidant peptides as functional food or nutraceutical ingredients. With cardiovascular diseases the leading cause of death in Canada and other developed countries, such applications could have tremendous potential as part of healthy diet in reducing risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, and improving the nutritional status and wellness of Canadians. The current proposal will provide valuable opportunities for training one M.Sc., two Ph.D. students and five undergraduates in the areas of structure and function relationships of bioactive peptides.