Peptide-induced fluorescence quenching of conjugated polyelectrolyte for label-free, ultrasensitive and selective assay of protease activity

Characteristics and Absorption Rate of Whey Protein Hydrolysates Prepared Using Flavourzyme after Treatment with Alcalase and Protamex

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of whey protein hydrolysate and determine changes in absorption rate due to enzymatic hydrolysis. The molecular weight distribution analysis of whey protein concentrate (WPC) and low-molecule whey protein hydrolysate (LMWPH) using the Superdex G-75 column revealed that LMWPH is composed of peptides smaller than those in WPC. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicated differences in peak positions between WPC and LMWPH, suggesting hydrolysis-mediated changes in secondary structures. Moreover, LMWPH exhibited higher thermal stability and faster intestinal permeation than WPC. Additionally, oral LMWPH administration increased serum protein content at 20 min, whereas WPC gradually increased serum protein content after 40 min. Although the total amount of WPC and LMWPH absorption was similar, LMWPH absorption rate was higher. Collectively, LMWPH, a hydrolysate of WPC, has distinct physicochemical properties and enhanced absorptive characteristics. Taken together, LMWPH is composed of low-molecular-weight peptides with low antigenicity and has improved absorption compared to WPC. Therefore, LMWPH can be used as a protein source with high bioavailability in the development of functional materials.

Perspective on chymotrypsin detection

Chymotrypsin is one of the most extensively known proteases participating in the pathogenesis of various diseases, which can be used in drug discovery and clinical diagnosis.

Effects of Two Protein Hydrolysates Obtained From Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Spirulina platensis on Zea mays (L.) Plants

Two liquid protein hydrolysates obtained from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) (CA) and Spirulina platensis (SP) were analyzed via FT-IR and SERS spectroscopy. Their hormone-like activities and contents in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), isopentenyladenosine (IPA), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), sulfur (S), phenols, amino acids, and reducing sugars were determined. CA and SP showed different chemical compositions in N, C, sugars, amino acid, and TP contents, which were generally higher in CA. The two products exhibited (IAA)-like and gibberellin (GA)-like activities and contained the hormones IAA and IPA. Specifically, CA held higher (∼3.6 fold) IAA-like activity than SP, while its GA-like activity was comparable to SP. The content in IAA was similar between hydrolysates, but CA contained ∼6 fold more IPA. CA and SP were further supplied at two different dosages (0.1 and 1 mL L^-1) for 2 days to maize (Zea mays L.) plants grown in hydroponics. They positively influenced plant growth and accumulation of N-compounds (proteins, chlorophylls and phenols), with a more pronounced effect observed in plants treated with CA. Furthermore, they increased the activity of two enzymes, i.e., peroxidase and esterase, which are established markers for plant growth, differentiation and organogenesis-related processes. Peroxidase activity in particular, was enhanced by ∼1.6 and ∼2.3 fold in leaves and roots of CA-treated plants, respectively. Greater accumulation of macro (Ca, Mg, and K) and micro (Cu, Zn) elements was also evident in plants supplied with these products. In conclusion, our data indicate that both CA and SP exert positive effects in maize plants. However, CA appeared to be more efficient than SP to improve plant nutrition and growth parameters in some respects, likely by virtue of its higher content in phytochemicals (hormones, phenols, amino acids, reducing sugars) that may act as signaling molecules, and more pronounced IAA-like activity.

Recent developments in protease activity assays and sensors

Proteases play a pivotal role in regulating important physiological processes from food digestion to blood clotting. They are also important biomarkers for many diseases such as cancers. The importance of proteases has led to extensive efforts in the screening of proteases and their inhibitors as potential drug molecules. For example, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients have been treated with HIV-1 protease inhibitors to prolong the life expectancy of patients. Such a close relationship between diseases and proteases provides a strong motivation for developing sensitive, selective, and robust protease assays and sensors, which can be exploited to discover new proteases and inhibitors. In this aspect, protease assays based on levels of proteolytic activities are more relevant than protease affinity assays such as immunoassays. In this review, recent developments of protease activity assays based on different detection principles are discussed and compared. For homogenous assays, fluorescence-based techniques are the most popular due to their high sensitivity and quantitative results. However, homogeneous assays have limited multiplex sensing capabilities. In contrast, heterogeneous assays can be employed to detect multiple proteases simultaneously, given the microarray technology that is already available. Among them, electrochemical methods, surface spectroscopy techniques, and enzyme-linked peptide protease assays are commonly used. Finally, recent developments in liquid crystal (LC)-based protease assays and their applications for detecting proteases and their inhibitors are discussed.

Simple and label-free liquid crystal-based sensor for detecting trypsin coupled to the interaction between cationic surfactant and BSA

Trypsin plays a central role in catalyzing the hydrolysis of peptide bonds, so a technique with simple operation is needed to monitor the activity of trypsin. Here a simple and label-free senor based on liquid crystals (LCs) was developed by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the enzyme substrate and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) as the controller for the alignment of LC. It was found that DTAB could form a self-assembled monolayer at the aqueous/LC interface to produce the dark optical images of LCs. And the addition of BSA could disturb the monolayer, so that the optical signal of LCs turned bright from dark. But the hydrolysis of BSA by trypsin resulted in the dark appearance. The sensing platform allows detection as low as 1 U/mL under the polarized light microscope based on at least three measurements. Moreover, this method was successfully applied in the detection of trypsin in human urines, suggesting its potential applications in clinic diagnosis.

Detection of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) on wound dressings as marker of inflammation

Chronic wound fluids have elevated concentration of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) which can be used as inflammation/infection marker. Our goal is to develop functional materials for fast diagnosis of wound inflammation/infection by using HNE as a specific marker. For that, fluorogenic peptides with a HNE-specific cleavage sequence were incorporated into traditional textile dressings, to allow real-time detection of the wound status. Two different fluorogenic approaches were studied in terms of intensity of the signal generated upon HNE addition: a fluorophore 7-amino-4-trifluormethylcoumarin (AFC) conjugated to a HNE-specific peptide and two fluorophore/quencher pairs (FAM/Dabcyl and EDANS/Dabcyl) coupled to a similar peptide as a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) strategy. Also, two immobilization methods were tested: sonochemistry immobilization onto a cotton bandage and glutaraldehyde (GTA)-assisted chemical crosslinking onto a polyamide dressing. The immobilized fluorogenic AFC peptide showed an intense fluorescence emission in the presence of HNE. HNE also induced an enhanced fluorescent signal with the EDANS/Dabcyl FRET peptide which showed to be a more sensitive and effective strategy than the AFC peptide. However, its chemical immobilization onto the polyamide dressing greatly decreased its detection, mainly due to the more difficult access of the enzyme to the cleavage sequence of the immobilized peptide. After optimization of the in situ immobilization, it will be possible to use these fluorescence-functionalized dressings for an effective and specific monitoring of chronic wounds by simply using a portable ultraviolet (UV) light source. We envision that the development of this point-of-care medical device for wound control will have a great impact on patient's life quality and reduction of costs on health care system.

Label-free fluorometric detection of chymotrypsin activity using graphene oxide/nucleic-acid-stabilized silver nanoclusters hybrid materials

Pancreatic function tests are used to determine the presence of chronic pancreatitis, particularly in the early stage of the disease. Chymotrypsin is an indicator of pancreatic function and is thus related to pancreatic diseases. A new fluorescent biosensing method for assay of chymotrypsin activity was developed using DNA (dC₁₂)-templated silver nanoclusters and graphene oxide (GO). A peptide probe was also designed using chymotrypsin-cleavable amino acid sequence and a cysteine terminus. The peptide probe formed Ag-S bond to dC₁₂-AgNCs to enhance the fluorescence of dC₁₂-AgNCs. After the addition of GO, the peptide was adsorbed to the negative GO surface and the fluorescence of dC₁₂-AgNCs was quenched by FRET. The peptide was then degraded into amino acid fragments upon addition of chymotrypsin; these fragments were released from the GO surface, and the FRET was terminated. The developed label-free method features lower cost and higher sensitivity to chymotrypsin activity assay compared with conventional fluorescence analysis. The method can be used to analyze chymotrypsin (as low as 3ng/mL, signal/noise =3) across a dynamic range of 0.0-50.0ng/mL. The proposed biosensing strategy can also be extended to other proteases by using different peptide substrates.

Ultrasensitive fluorescent detection of trypsin on the basis of surfactant–protamine assembly with tunable emission wavelength

A facile and ultrasensitive fluorometric assay for trypsin detection was successfully established on the basis of SDS/protamine/fluorescent hydrophobic dye micellar-type assemblies and enzyme-triggered disassembly.

A sensitive and label-free trypsin colorimetric sensor with cytochrome c as a substrate

The development of simple and sensitive methods for protease sensing plays important roles in clinical diagnostics and drug development. Here a simple, rapid, label-free, and sensitive trypsin colorimetric sensor was developed by employing cytochrome c (cyt c) as an enzyme substrate and 3,3´,5,5´-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as a chromogenic reagent. It was found that cyt c hardly catalyzes H2O2-mediated TMB oxidation to produce a blue solution. But the hydrolysate of cyt c by trypsin displays an intense catalytic effect on the aforementioned reaction, resulting in the formation of a blue solution immediately. The detection process allows visually perceiving as low as 50 ng/mL trypsin with the naked eyes. With the aid of a spectrophotometer, the absorbance at 652 nm was proportional to the concentration of trypsin in the range from 5.0 ng/mL to 2.0 μg/mL with a detection limit of 4.5 ng/mL. The sensor showed better precision with relative standard deviation of 2.5% and 1.7% for eleven repetitive measurements of 50.0 ng/mL and 1.0 μg/mL trypsin solution, respectively. The procedure has been successfully applied to the determination of trypsin in human urines and for inhibitor screening, demonstrating its potential application in clinic diagnosis and drug development.

Ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of trypsin based on anti-aggregation of 4-mercaptopyridine-functionalized silver nanoparticles: an optical sensing platform toward proteases

In this work, a simple and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) strategy was developed for recognition and detection of trypsin, by using anti-aggregation of 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MPY)-functionalized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) based on the interaction between protamine and trypsin. The polycationic protamine not only served as a substrate for enzyme hydrolysis but also worked as a medium for SERS enhancement, which could bind negatively charged 4-MPY-functionalized AgNPs and induce their aggregation. The hydrolysis catalyzed with trypsin in sample solution decreased the concentration of free protamine, resulting in the dispersion of AgNPs and thus decreasing the Raman intensity of 4-MPY, by which the trypsin could be sensed optically. A detection level down to 0.1 ng mL(-1) for trypsin was obtained. The induced accumulation of AgNPs modified with Raman reporter 4-MPY largely enhanced the SERS responses. A good linearity was found within the wide range over five orders of magnitude and reasonable relative standard deviations (between 2.4 and 11.6%) were attained. By using trypsin as a model, the new concept can provide an excellent platform for ultrasensitive SERS measurements of various proteases/enzymes which can lead to nanoparticles stability change through catalyzed hydrolysis toward substrate.

A fluorescence turn on trypsin assay based on aqueous polyfluorene

A new method based on the electrostatic interaction of a novel anionic water soluble polymer P1 with a positively charged polypeptide Arg₆ was developed for a continuous and real time turn on assay for the enzymatic activity of trypsin under alkaline conditions with a limit of detection of 0.17 nM. This method was also able to screen the inhibitors of trypsin. P1 fluorescence intensity was significantly decreased by the positively charged Arg₆ due to the electrostatic interaction, whereas the enzymatic action recovered P1 fluorescence due to the fragmentation of Arg₆ into small positively charged fragments and these were unable to quench the P1 fluorescence. Therefore, by triggering the fluorescence intensity change, it was possible to assay the enzymatic activity. Use of water soluble conjugated polymer P1 and no labeling on the substrate enhances the utility of this method significantly.

A real-time fluorescence turn-on assay for trypsin based on a conjugated polyelectrolyte

We report a continuous and sensitive fluorescence turn-on assay for trypsin by using an anionic conjugated polyelectrolyte (PPE-CO2H) and a cationic peptide substrate labelled with p-nitroaniline (R_xG-pNA). Applications of the assay in trypsin activity study and high-throughput screening of protease inhibitors were demonstrated.