Peptide - Balance Clinic

What is a peptide?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Typically peptides contain less than 50 amino acids. Anything longer is considered a protein. Peptides serve many important biological functions.

Some key facts about peptides:

• Peptides are synthesized naturally by ribosomes or artificially through chemical synthesis.
• They can act as hormones, neurotransmitters, or antibiotics. Some well-known peptide hormones include insulin and oxytocin.
• Many peptides derived from food proteins have bioactive properties. These food-derived peptides provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
• The peptide bond is formed by a condensation reaction between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another. This forms an amide linkage with the loss of a water molecule.
• Peptides are distinguished from proteins by their shorter length. But the line is blurry - small proteins like insulin contain peptide sequences within their structure.

Now you may ask — how do peptides work in the body?

• Peptide hormones bind to receptors on target cells. This triggers cell signaling pathways that regulate bodily processes like growth and metabolism.
• Meanwhile, neurotransmitter peptides like endorphins bind to nervous system receptors. There they regulate perception of pain, hunger, and other feelings.
• Antimicrobial peptides directly attack the cell membranes of bacteria or other microbes. This makes them an important part of the immune defense.

So in summary, peptides represent a diverse family of cell signaling molecules and antibiotics. Though peptides are assembled from amino acids like proteins, they serve distinct molecular roles based on their smaller size. Developing synthetic peptides as novel drugs is an area of great research interest across biology and medicine.

I tried to cover the basics in this answer! Let me know if you have any other specific questions about the intriguing world of peptides and their many functions in the body.