Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify the major peptides generated by the in vitro hydrolysis of Amaranthus cruentus protein and to verify the effect of these peptides on the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), a key enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. A protein isolate was prepared, and an enzymatic hydrolysis that simulated the in vivo digestion of the protein was performed. After hydrolysis, the peptide mixture was filtered through a 3 kDa membrane. The peptide profile of this mixture was determined by reversed phase high performance chromatography (RP-HPLC), and the peptide identification was performed by LC-ESI MS/MS. Three major peptides under 3 kDa were detected, corresponding to more than 90% of the peptides of similar size produced by enzymatic hydrolysis. The sequences identified were GGV, IVG or LVG and VGVI or VGVL. These peptides had not yet been described for amaranth protein nor are they present in known sequences of amaranth grain protein, except LVG, which can be found in amaranth α‑amylase. Their ability to inhibit the activity of HMG-CoA reductase was determined, and we found that the sequences GGV, IVG, and VGVL, significantly inhibited this enzyme, suggesting a possible hypocholesterolemic effect.
Highlights
Amaranth seed is a barely known and underutilized grain, more commonly produced in Mexico, Peru and other Andean countries, and cultivated on a small scale in other countries from South America and Central America
The amaranth seed is high in protein (17%), and its amino acid composition is close to the optimum amino acid balance required in the human diet [1,2,3]
The study indicated that amaranth protein reduced the cholesterol concentration in plasma, being the main component responsible for the hypocholesterolemic effect
Summary
Amaranth seed is a barely known and underutilized grain, more commonly produced in Mexico, Peru and other Andean countries, and cultivated on a small scale in other countries from South America and Central America. The amaranth seed is high in protein (17%), and its amino acid composition is close to the optimum amino acid balance required in the human diet [1,2,3]. Besides these nutritional characteristics, studies have shown that introduction of amaranth seeds in the diet may prevent or diminish the risk of occurrence of diseases by presenting several biological activities [4,5,6,7]. The study indicated that amaranth protein reduced the cholesterol concentration in plasma, being the main component responsible for the hypocholesterolemic effect
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