The presence of bioactive peptides has already been reported in many foods such as milk, fermented products, plant and marine proteins. Bioactive peptides are sequences between 2 and 20 amino acids that can inhibit chronic diseases by modulating and improving physiological functions, so these peptides contribute in holding the consumer health. Also, bioactive peptides can affect prohealth or functional properties of food products. Fractionation of the protein hydrolysate revealed a direct relationship between their structure and functional activity. So, this review focuses on different factors effecting on bioactive peptide structures, biological and functional properties such as antihypertensive, antioxidative, hypocholesterolemic, water-holding capacity, foaming capacity, emulsifying properties and solubility. Also, this review looks at the identified bioactive peptides from food protein sources as potential ingredients of health promoting functional foods.Keywords Bioactive peptides Á Food protein hydrolysis Á Functional properties Á Human health Á Peptides structure

The use of herbal drugs as biocompatible and nontoxic drugs without special side effects in wound dressings are highly favored compared to that of chemical and synthetic drugs. In this study, the properties and performance of electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and their 50/50 hybrid nanofibrous mats containing the herbal drug thymol (1.2% v/v) as wound dressings were investigated. The optimized solution concentrations of PCL (12% w/v) and PLA (3% w/v) in chloroform/dimethylformamide (7:3) for electrospinning were determined with viscometry and scanning electron microscopy studies to obtain smooth and beadless nanofibers. The results of the drug‐release behavior along with swelling tests showed that the electrospun 50/50 PCL/PLA hybrid nanofibers had the highest level of drug release (∼ 72%) compared with the PCL and PLA nanofibrous samples. The release kinetics of thymol from PCL, PLA, and 50/50 PCL/PLA hybrid nanofibrous mats were studied by the Peppas equation and the zero‐order, first‐order, Higuchi, and Hixon–Crowell models. Antibacterial evaluations showed that the electrospun 50/50 PCL/PLA hybrid nanofibrous samples containing thymol had satisfactory effects on Staphylococcus aureus compared with Escherichia coli bacteria during the treatment periods. In vivo rat wound‐healing and histological performance observations of thymol‐loaded 50/50 PCL/PLA nanofibrous mats, the commercial wound dressing Comfeel Plus, and gauze bandages (control) after 14‐day post‐treatment periods were evaluated. The results reveal that the electrospun 50/50 PCL/PLA hybrid nanofibers containing thymol had a remarkable wound‐closure percentage of about 92.5% after a period of 14 days. Finally, the crystallinity and thermal behavior of the electrospun 50/50 PCL/PLA hybrid nanofibrous mats with and without thymol were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

ABSTRACT:In this article, we present the drug-release rate, water uptake, water permeability, morphology, and mechanical properties of a series of active wound dressing nanofibrous mats prepared via an electrospinning process of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL), and their (50/50) blends loaded with different doses of tetracycline hydrochloride antibiotic. The performance of these active wound dressings in terms of a sustained and suitable drug-release rate, adequate water uptake and water permeability, and antibacterial activities were compared with those of a commercial wound dressing (Comfeel Plus). The results show that the dressings made from PCL and PLA/PCL blends showed better performance compared with the commercial wound dressing sample as far as these properties were concerned. The improved performance could be explained on the basis of the nanofibrous structure of the mats and the hydrophilicity of PCL and PLA.

No abstract

Food-derived bioactive peptides are being used as important functional ingredients for health-promoting foods and nutraceuticals in recent times in order to prevent and manage several diseases thanks to their biological activities. Bioactive peptides are specific protein fractions, which show broad applications in cosmetics, food additives, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antithrombotic, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory ingredients. These peptides can preserve consumer health by retarding chronic diseases owing to modulation or improvement of the physiological functions of human body. They can also affect functional characteristics of different foods such as dairy products, fermented beverages, and plant and marine proteins. This manuscript reviews different aspects of bioactive peptides concerning their biological (antihypertensive, antioxidative, antiobesity, and hypocholesterolemic) and functional (water holding capacity, solubility, emulsifying, and foaming) properties. Moreover, the properties of several bioactive peptides extracted from different foods as potential ingredients to formulate health promoting foods are described. Thus, multifunctional properties of bioactive peptides provide the possibility to formulate or develop novel healthy food products.