Peptide-metal complexes: obtention and role in increasing bioavailability and decreasing the pro-oxidant effect of minerals

Abstract

Bioactive peptides derived from food protein sources have been widely studied in the last years, and scientific researchers have been proving their role in human health, beyond their nutritional value. Several bioactivities have been attributed to these peptides, such as immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and opioid. Among them, metal-binding capacity has gained prominence. Mineral chelating peptides have shown potential to be applied in food products so as to decrease mineral deficiencies since peptide-metal complexes could enhance their bioavailability. Furthermore, many studies have been investigating their potential to decrease the Fe pro-oxidant effect by forming a stable structure with the metal and avoiding its interaction with other food constituents. These complexes can be formed during gastrointestinal digestion or can be synthesized prior to intake, with the aim to protect the mineral through the gastrointestinal tract. This review addresses: (i) the amino acid residues for metal-binding peptides and their main protein sources, (ii) peptide-metal complexation prior to or during gastrointestinal digestion, (iii) the function of metal (especially Fe, Ca, and Zn)-binding peptides on the metal bioavailability and (iv) their reactivity and possible pro-oxidant and side effects.

Keywords:

• Metal-binding peptides
• bioavailability
• mineral deficiency
• bioactive peptides
• hydrolysates
• metal-peptide complexes

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Faculty of Food Engineering (University of Campinas) and Faculty of Pharmacy (University of Valencia) for the support during M. E. Caetano-Silva's PhD.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

M. E. Caetano-Silva was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) during her PhD [grant number 2013/10356-7 and 2015/02254-5] and post-doctoral research [grant number 2017/16977-4].