Exploring the science behind short peptides and their potential applications

Marco Stella

05.05.2023, 11:02

• Medical applications
• Industrial applications: Cosmetics
• Agricultural applications

Nanopep is at the forefront of the study and production of short peptide-based products, which are helpful in normalizing and enhancing many important functions of the body.

Short peptides are natural compounds that have fundamental biological functions, with a structure consisting of amino acid (residues) sequences, held together by peptide bonds.

In short peptides, the amino acid chain consists of only a few residues, at most four. Long peptides contain no more than 50 amino acids. If we consider molecular weight, peptides-which thus include both short and long peptides-reach maximum values around 5,000 daltons.

One of the properties of short peptides is that they easily cross cell membranes to bind specific intracellular receptors, and function as enzymes to catalyse key biological reactions.

Over time, the development of research on short peptides has led to the discovery of new properties of these molecules, and various synthetic short peptides for many applications have been created.

Nanopep can rely on a dedicated team of researchers and developers of products based on short peptides, manufactured with today’s most innovative biotechnology to provide customers with the ultimate and most effective formulas of high-quality supplements.

Short peptides can be used in several applications; let’s look at the most important ones.

Medical applications

The development of drugs based on short peptides has made great progress in the past decade. Today, the production of short peptides can rely on specific chemical and biological methods, which, together with new bioengineering strategies, enable highly purified and efficient molecules.

A wide variety of natural and synthetic peptides covering different therapeutic areas have been obtained and studied.

For instance, Nanopep’s Vilon® boosts the immune action through the strengthening and regeneration of the thymus, a primary organ of the lymphatic system, which has the function of an endocrine gland and plays a fundamental role within the immune system.

The thymus is characterized by significant growth and intense activity only up to puberty; after which, due to the effect of sex hormones, it becomes smaller and less active. Precisely for this reason, the action of Vilon® allows to support and improve the functions of this important gland and to stabilize them over time.

Vilon® effectively helps the body enhance the immune system, preventing premature aging and stimulating the proliferation of immune cells. It also effectively promotes tissue regeneration and contributes to the reduction of inflammatory phenomena.

Industrial applications: Cosmetics

Short peptides are widely used in the cosmetic industry and are considered a viable alternative to medical injection therapies.

In addition to producing soothing effects on the skin, they are useful in counteracting the skin imperfections of so-called Intrinsic-Aging (occurring with advancing age), and Extrinsic-Photoaging (resulting from genesis related to negative environmental factors).

These small molecules are very effective in maintaining the correct level of hydration of the dermis, increasing its elasticity, stimulating collagen production, and preventing facial blemishes caused by wrinkles.

Agricultural applications

Modern intensive agriculture requires the use of large quantities of pesticides to guarantee high productions, but their use causes environmental pollution and toxicity for both humans and animals (such as bees).

Starting from this assumption, the research of the last few years has brought out how short peptides, together with double-stranded RNA, can represent promising alternatives to conventional fungicides. Because of their specificity to the target organism (the fungus), short peptides support the transition to a more sustainable agrifood system and greater safety for farmers and consumers.

Short peptides have attracted a great deal of attention from scientific research in recent years; many applications are already available, and those under study will certainly not exhaust the enormous potential of these small biomolecules.

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