Phospholipid components of the synthetic pulmonary surfactant CHF5633 probed by fluorescence spectroscopy

CHF5633 (Chiesi Farmaceutici, Italy) is a synthetic pulmonary surfactant currently under clinical development for the treatment of Respiratory Distress Syndrome in premature infants. The product is composed of phospholipids in liposomal organization, together with two peptide analogues of human surfactant proteins B and C. Phospholipids in liposomes can undergo oxidation of unsaturated lipids and hydrolysis, with formation of fatty acids and lysolipids, both affecting the physico-chemical properties of the formulation. We exploited two fluorescence probes, Prodan and ADIFAB, to evaluate the stability of the phospholipid components of CHF5633. While Prodan enters the phospholipid bilayer and probes the polarity of this environment, ADIFAB binds free fatty acids in the aqueous phase, allowing to determine their concentration. Changes of Prodan fluorescence emission indicated an increase in the polarity of the phospholipid bilayer as a function of time. This behavior is coupled with an increase in fatty acids concentration in the aqueous phase, as determined by ADIFAB, and an increase in lysolipids concentration, as determined by HPLC-MS. Prodan and ADIFAB resulted efficient probes to monitor phospholipids hydrolysis in liposomes, reporting an increased stability of CHF5633 at pH values higher than 6.5.

Cheese peptidomics: a detailed study on the evolution of the oligopeptide fraction in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from curd to 24 months of aging

In this work, we performed a detailed evaluation of the evolution of the oligopeptide fractions in samples of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from the curd up to 24 mo of aging. The samples were taken from wheels produced the same day, in the same factory, from the same milk, during the same caseification process, thus simplifying the natural variability of a whey-based starter fermentation. This unique and homogeneous sampling plan, never reported before in the literature, provided a detailed study of the peptides produced by enzymatic events during Parmigiano-Reggiano aging. Given the large dimensions of the 35-kg wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano, samples were taken from both the internal and external parts of the cheese, to evidence eventual differences in the oligopeptide composition of the different parts. Fifty-seven peptides were considered, being among the most abundant during at least one of the periods of ripening considered, and their semiquantification indicated that the peptide fraction of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese constantly evolves during the aging period. Five trends in its evolution were outlined, which could be clearly correlated to the enzymatic activities present in the cheese, making it possible to discriminate cheeses according to their aging time. Several known bioactive peptides were also found to be present in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese samples, and for the first time, the age at which they are most abundant has been identified. Aged cheeses have been shown to be dominated by nonproteolytic aminoacyl derivatives, a new class of peptide-like molecules recently reported. Finally, the changing peptide pattern may be related to the changing enzymatic activities occurring inside the cheeses during the aging period, which, in turn, are also related to the microbiological composition.

In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of the major peach allergen Pru p 3, a lipid transfer protein: molecular characterization of the products and assessment of their IgE binding abilities

A simulated gastrointestinal digestion has been carried out on purified peach lipid transfer protein, one of the main allergens among the population of the Mediterranean area and the major allergen of peach allergic patients. The percentage of intact protein, after extensive digestion, measured by comparison with a non-digestible peptide analogue used as internal standard, was found to be about one-third of the original protein content. The peptides formed in digested fraction were characterized by means of LC/MS. The products of the digestion essentially derived from trypsin action, whereas the protein appeared to be resistant to pepsin and chymotrypsin. The identified peptides could be classified as low molecular weight and high molecular weight peptides. The latter consisted of the full protein, with the disulfide bridges still intact, deprived of the smaller peptides. The different digestion products, including the high and low molecular weight peptides, were purified by LC and assessed, together with the intact protein, by dot-blot analysis with sera of allergic patients, allowing to estimate their potential allergenicity. The intact protein and the high molecular weight peptides were found to be recognized by patients' sera, whereas the small peptides were found to be not reactive.

Unambiguous characterization and tissue localization of Pru P 3 peach allergen by electrospray mass spectrometry and MALDI imaging

The lipid transfer protein (LTP), Pru p 3, has been identified as the major allergen present in peach, and its sequence obtained by direct amino acid sequencing has been previously reported. However, several sequences, obtained from c-DNA and available in databases, show differences among them and from the originally proposed structure. In this paper, we report the fast and unambiguous determination of the structure of Pru p 3 protein, extracted from three different varieties of peach, by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), both coupled to single stage (quadrupole) or advanced (FT-HRMS) analyzers. The structure was identical to one of the cDNA-derived sequences and different in two positions from the previously reported structure obtained by amino acid sequencing. Moreover, the exclusive localization of the protein in the outer part of the fruits was assessed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI MSI). The results reported here demonstrate the full potential of mass spectrometry for rapidly obtaining high quality structural data of relevant food proteins.