Multifunctional Cationic Peptide Fractions from Flaxseed Protein Hydrolysates

The aim of this work was to determine the multifunctional properties of flaxseed protein-derived cationic peptide fractions. Alcalase hydrolysis of flaxseed protein fractions liberated cationic peptides, which were separated into two major fractions (FI and FII) by chromatography using a cation-exchange column. Due to their cationic property, the peptide fractions bound and inactivated calmodulin (CaM, a negatively charged enzyme activator protein) with concomitant inhibition of CaM-dependent phosphodiesterase (CaMPDE); this activity was substantially reduced as CaM concentration increased. Enzyme kinetics studies showed competitive inhibition of CaMPDE by FI and FII with enzyme-inhibitor dissociation constants of 0.0202 and 0.0511 mg/ml, respectively. Only the FII peptides showed multifunctional activities by inhibiting CaMPDE, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and renin. Separation of FII peptides by reverse phase HPLC resulted in eight fractions (FII-2 to FII-9) that inhibited the activities of CaMPDE, ACE, and renin but this multifunctional activity was more pronounced in FII-6. From LC-MS analysis, identified peptides present in FII fraction had molecular size range of 330-735 Da, which suggests potential for increased absorption. Potential peptide sequences were identified for each of the HPLC fractions and shown to contain either lysine or arginine as the positively charged amino acid residue. The multifunctional properties of the cationic peptide fractions can potentially enhance their use in targeting multiple symptoms of cardiovascular disease, considering that the excessive levels of CaM, CaMPDE, renin and ACE play important roles in enhancing progression and intensity of chronic human diseases.