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Peptides are a short chain of amino acids. These molecules get linked to each other with the help of peptide bonds. Peptides are the very smaller version of the protein. Peptides come under biological polymers and oligomers.
Peptide names are given based on their structure. So there are different types of peptides, like oligopeptides, which include dipeptides, tripeptides, etc. And the other one is a polypeptide.
Every peptide has two sides. One is the amino side or amino group (-NH2) and a carboxyl side or carboxyl group (-COOH). The carboxyl group of one amino acid reacts and forms a covalent bond with an amino group of another amino acid. This bond is a peptide bond, and this is how a peptide gets created. Then, based on both the molecules, the Peptide names get derived.
What Is a Peptide?
Peptides are a smaller version of the protein which consists of two or more amino acids linked together with a peptide bond. Generally, peptides are distinguished from proteins with the help of their length. Proteins are ideally long chains of amino acids. Therefore, a polypeptide with at least 50 amino acids can be called a protein.
How To Name a Peptide?
There are plenty of amino acids present in nature. So, it is necessary to have some rules for naming peptides. There are two sides to a peptide. One is amino, and the other is carboxylic acid. So, there will only be two different amino acids if it’s a dipeptide. So, first, the amino acid side name will be taken, and then the name of the side of carboxylic acid will be taken.
If you have glycine on the side of amino acid and alanine on the carboxylic acid side, this is a dipeptide, and it will be named “glycylalanine.”
Naming peptides practice requires keeping the abbreviations of amino acids in mind, as those are the ones that get used to name a peptide.
Types of peptides
According to the number of amino acids, the peptides can be of different types. The most basic peptide is the dipeptide. This only has two amino acids. An oligopeptide can have peptides with two to twenty amino acids. Also, they get named as per the number of amino acids. This is how there are tripeptides, tetrapeptides, pentapeptides, etc. Dipeptide also comes under the oligopeptide.
The other peptide is known as a polypeptide. This type of peptide might have 21 to 49 amino acids and is linked by peptide bonds. Peptide names are completely based on the amino acids present in the peptides.
Peptides are equally important both in chemistry and biology. For example, if a peptide has at least 50 amino acids, it will be considered a protein.
Sources Of Peptides
Peptides can be created in the ribosomes inside of a cell. RNA is one of the examples of amino acid chains, which is technically a peptide. Also, some natural sources can give you peptides. These are generally plant or animal proteins that we intake regularly. Irrespective of Peptide names, Milk, fish, eggs, meat, soy, wheat, oats, flaxseeds, and so on have different peptides.
Importance of Peptides
Peptides provide cells with structural components and tissues. It also helps provide tissues, toxins, enzymes, hormones, and antibiotics. Some hormones like oxytocin, melittin, glutathione, and insulin are some examples of peptides.
Peptides help lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, kill microbes, and improve immune function. These are also good antioxidants.
Also helps to slow down the process of ageing and heal the wounds. This can also build muscle mass and provide strength with preventing bone loss due to age.
Side effects
Uses of external peptides can create some complications for the human body. Though the side effects are almost negligible and don’t create any serious complications, some skincare-related peptides can create irritation to the skin.
As we take peptides with our everyday food, it is impossible to cut down peptides. But some peptide supplements can be unused. However, those don’t have such side effects.
Conclusion
Peptides are a chain of amino acids of 2 to 49. When a peptide has at least 50 amino acids, it becomes protein. Peptide names get decided by the amino side and the carboxyl side substances of the peptides. Peptides can be classified as oligopeptides or polypeptides based on the number of amino acids. For example, dipeptides, tripeptides, or tetrapeptides come under oligopeptides. Peptides are present inside the human body and can be taken from outside sources like plant and animal proteins.
