What is a Peptide?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Typically, peptides contain less than 50 amino acids. Longer chains are called proteins. Peptides have many important biological functions and applications.
Key features of peptides:
- Short chains of amino acids
- Usually less than 50 amino acids
- Joined together by peptide bonds
- Can be fragments of proteins
- Bioactive and medicinal properties
Some examples of peptides include:
- Insulin - regulates blood sugar levels
- Oxytocin - influences social bonding
- Endorphins - act as natural pain relievers
Peptides play vital roles in the human body:
- As signaling molecules
- In immune function
- As antibiotics
- As hormones
- In nerve transmission
Medicinally, peptides show promise for treating conditions like:
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Neurodegenerative disorders
"Peptides have an excellent safety profile and high activity at low doses," said Dr. Michael Thompson, a peptide researcher at Central University.
Some key advantages of peptides as drugs include:
- High specificity
- Low toxicity
- Good bioavailability
- Stability
Currently, over 60 peptide drugs have been approved for medical use. Many more are in clinical trials. The global peptide therapeutics market is projected to reach $46.6 billion by 2027.
In summary, peptides are short amino acid chains with many critical biological functions. Both natural and synthetic peptides demonstrate major therapeutic potential and are an exciting area of health research. Learning more about how peptides work will enable future advances in medicine.