Comparative Analysis of Milk Fat Globular Membrane (MFGM) Proteome between Saudi Arabia Camelus dromedary Safra and Wadha Breeds

Abstract

Camel milk is traditionally known to have medicinal properties and many potential health benefits. Natural milk contains many soluble proteins and nanoparticles, such as a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), a three-layered membrane covering of milk fat globule mainly composed of proteins and lipids, which plays an important role in human health. MFGM proteins account for 1%–4% of total milk proteins, and their nutritive value and distribution depends on the different breeds. The differential composition of these membrane proteins among different camel breeds has not been explored. The current study, therefore, aimed to quantitatively analyze and compare the MFGM proteome between the milk produced by the two most common Saudi camel breeds, Camelus dromedarius: Safra and Wadha. Two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry analysis revealed a total of 44 MFGM proteins that were identified with a significant difference in abundance (p ≤ 0.05; fold change ≥ 1.5) between the two breeds. Thirty-one proteins were up-regulated and 13 proteins were down-regulated in the Safra breed compared to the Wadha breed. The proteins identified with an increased abundance included α-lactalbumin, lactadherin, and annexin a8, whereas the down-regulated proteins included butyrophilin subfamily 1 member a1, lactotransferrin, and vinculin. The differentially abundant proteins were analyzed by the UNIPROT system and gene ontology (GO) to reveal their associations with known biological functions and pathways. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed the 2D-DIGE findings of butyrophilin (BTN) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) levels obtained from Safra and Wadha breeds.

Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) Milk Exosomes Promote Glucose Consumption in L6 Cells

“…The results showed that 6, 12 and 24 ng/µL camel milk exosomes significantly increased the glucose consumption of L6 cells for 24 h (P<0.05) (Fig 3). Camel milk can be used to treat diseases such as diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal disease (Sabha et al 2020). Furthermore, camel milk exosomes have been shown to have anti-cancer effects by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress (Badawy et al 2018).…”

A Comprehensive Review of the Composition, Nutritional Value, and Functional Properties of Camel Milk Fat

“…Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the components of MFGM, especially to their protein components [ 47 ]. MFGM proteins, which account for 1–4% of the total milk protein, differ depending on the breed [ 48 ]. The proteins of camel MFGM are mainly involved in protein processing, bio-synthesis of fat, and actin cytoskeleton organization [ 47 , 49 ].…”

“…During the secretion of the MFGs [ 50 ], the localization of the proteins differs: some are related to the inner monolayer membrane, while others to the outer bilayer membrane [ 51 , 52 ]. Camel MFGM proteins have been investigated in order to explain MFGM structure and how the proteins vary between the different species [ 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…MFGM proteins, which account for 1-4% of the total milk protein, differ depending on the breed [48]. The proteins of camel MFGM are mainly involved in protein processing, bio-synthesis of fat, and actin cytoskeleton organization [47,49].…”

Latent potentials of camel’s milk

“…The expression of all these endogenous bioactive peptides in raw camel milk would might explained our previous results [ 3 ], where the consumption of raw camel milk (from Camelus dromedary ) for three months (250 ml/day) by patients infected with hepatitis C virus, at different disease stages, promoted a significance reduction in the viral load, as well as improved the general health fitness biomarkers, may be due to the existence of the arrays of bioactive peptides with the potential to regulate and control various cellular pathways. The significance differences in both qualitative and quantitative levels of endogenous peptides are not restricted to the differences in the Dromedary and Bactrian camel milk [ 1 ], but it is also found between the intraspecies “breeds” of the Dromedary [ 4 ]. Recently, the purified and/or formulated samples of lactoferrin (which may contain some of the endogenous bioactive peptides) was used for COVID-19 control [ 5 ].…”