Residue profiles of peptides with cholesterol esterase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities through virtual screening and sequence analysis

Food Chem. 2024 Dec 1;460(Pt 2):140708. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140708. Epub 2024 Jul 30.

Abstract

The detailed characterization of the structural features of peptides targeting cholesterol esterase (CEase) or pancreatic lipase (PPL) will benefit the management of hyperlipidemia and obesity. This study employed the Glide SP (standard precision)-peptide method to predict the binding modes of 202 dipeptides and 203 tripeptides to these targets, correlating residue composition and position with binding energy. Strong preferences for Trp, Phe, and Tyr were observed at all positions of potential inhibitory peptides, whereas negatively charged residues Glu and Asp were disfavored. Notably, Arg and aromatic rings significantly influenced the peptide conformation at the active site. Tripeptide IWR demonstrated the high efficacy, with IC50 values of 0.214 mg/mL for CEase and 0.230 mg/mL for PPL. Five novel IWR scaffold-tetrapeptides exhibited promising inhibitory activity. Non-covalent interactions and energy contributions dominated the formation of stable complexes. Our results provide insights for the development of new sequences or peptide-like molecules with enhanced inhibitory activity.

Keywords: Bioactive peptides; Cholesterol esterase; Molecular docking; Pancreatic lipase; Peptide mode.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Lipase* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Lipase* / chemistry
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Pancreas / chemistry
  • Pancreas / enzymology
  • Peptides* / chemistry
  • Peptides* / pharmacology
  • Sterol Esterase* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Sterol Esterase* / chemistry
  • Sterol Esterase* / metabolism

Substances

  • Sterol Esterase
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Lipase
  • Peptides