The objective was to identify peptides with dual antioxidant and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities released from lentil proteins by Savinase®. The influence of gastrointestinal digestion on peptide bioactivity was also assayed. Fragments from vicilin, convicilin and legumin were the most abundant peptides identified. Peptides LLSGTQNQPSFLSGF, NSLTLPILRYL, TLEPNSVFLPVLLH showed the highest antioxidant (0.013-1.432μmol Trolox eq./μmol peptide) and ACE inhibitory activities (IC=44-120μM). Gastrointestinal digestion of peptides improved their dual activity (10-14μmol Trolox eq./μmol peptide; IC=11-21μM). In general, C-terminal heptapeptide was crucial for their dual activity. ACE inhibition relies on the formation of hydrogen bonds between C-terminal residues of lentil peptides and residues of the ACE catalytic site. The present study helps clarifying the relationship between structure and dual antioxidant/antihypertensive activity of lentil peptides opening new opportunities to food industry such as the application of lentil protein hydrolysates as ingredients for development of functional foods.

The transient receptor potential melastatin subtype 8 (TRPM8) is a nonselective, multimodal ion channel, activated by low temperatures (<28 °C), pressure, and cooling compounds (menthol, icilin). Experimental evidences indicated a role of TRPM8 in cold thermal transduction, different life-threatening tumors, and other pathologies, including migraine, urinary tract dysfunction, dry eye disease, and obesity. Hence, the modulation of the TRPM8 channel could be essential in order to understand its implications in these pathologies and for therapeutic intervention. This short review will cover recent progress on the TRPM8 agonists and antagonists, describing newly reported chemotypes, and their application in the pharmacological characterization of TRPM8 in health and disease. The recently described structures of the TRPM8 channel alone or complexed with known agonists and PIP2 are also discussed.

Here we describe a novel type of enzyme-based prodrug approach in which a dipeptide moiety is linked to a nonpeptidic therapeutic drug through an amide bond which is specifically cleaved by the dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPP IV/CD26) enzyme activity present in plasma and on the surface of certain cells. DPP IV has high substrate selectivity for peptides with a proline (or an alanine) at the penultimate amino acid position at the N-terminus but tolerates a wide range of natural amino acids at the amino terminal end. A variety of dipeptidyl amide prodrugs of anti-HIV TSAO molecules were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to act as substrates for the enzyme. Our data revealed that DPP IV/CD26 can efficiently recognize such prodrugs as substrates, releasing the parent compound. Moreover, it is possible to modify the half-life and the lipophilicity of the prodrugs by changing the nature of the dipeptide. All conjugates have shown marked in vitro antiviral activities irrespective the the nature of the terminal and/or the penultimate amino acid moiety.