Tryptophan- and arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides: structures and mechanisms of action.

The avian egg is an important source of nutrients, containing all of the proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and growth factors required by the developing embryo, as well as a number of defense factors to protect against bacterial and viral infection. Moreover, eggs are now understood to contain substances with biological functions beyond basic nutrition, and extensive research has been undertaken to identify and characterize these biologically active components. This review mainly focused on biological activities of proteins and peptides derived from egg components. Several biological activities have now been associated with egg components, including novel antimicrobial activities, antiadhesive properties, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and antihypertensive activities, antioxidant properties, protease inhibitors, nutrient bioavailability, and functional lipids, highlighting the importance of egg and egg components in human health and in disease prevention and treatment. Continued research to identify new and existing biological functions of hen egg components will help to define new methods to further improve the value of eggs as a source of numerous biologically active compounds with specific benefits for human and animal health and secure their role in the therapy and prevention of chronic and infectious disease.

Advances in the value of eggs and egg components for human health.

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1880&context=ans_pubs

Egg white proteins and their potential use in food processing or as nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents—A review

Composition and Extraction of Egg Components.- Composition and Structure of Hen Egg Yolk.- Low-density Lipoproteins (LDL) or Lipovitellenin Fraction.- High-density Lipoproteins (HDL) or Lipovitellin Fraction.- Phosvitin.- Livetin Fractions (IgY).- Lysozyme.- Ovotransferrin.- Ovalbumin and Gene-Related Proteins.- Ovomucin.- Riboflavin-Binding Protein (Flavoprotein).- Avidin.- Proteases.- Antiproteases.- Minor Proteins.- Structure and Formation of the Eggshell.- Eggshell Matrix Proteins.- Function of Eggshell Matrix Proteins.- Use of Egg Compounds for Human Nutrition.- Nutritional Evaluation of Egg Compounds.- Concepts of Hypoallergenicity.- Egg Enrichment in Omega-3 Fatty Acids.- Enrichment in Vitamins.- Enrichment in Selenium and Other Trace Elements.- Use of Eggs for Human/Animal Health and Biotechnology.- Compounds with Antibacterial Activity.- Egg-Protein-Derived Peptides with Antihypertensive Activity.- Use of IgY Antibodies in Human and Veterinary Medicine.- Egg Compounds with Antioxidant and Mineral Binding Properties.- Use of Lecithin and Lecithin Fractions.- Extraction of Several Egg Compounds at a Pilot Scale.- Use of Egg Compounds for Cosmetics and Pharmaceutics.- Use of Egg Compounds for Cryoprotection of Spermatozoa.- Egg-Protein-Based Films and Coatings.- Magnetic Particles for Egg Research.- Avidin-Biotin Technology.

http://www.agrifs.ir/sites/default/files/5Bioactive%20Egg%20Compounds.pdf

Bioactive egg compounds

Egg is an encapsulated source of macro and micronutrients that meet all requirements to support embryonic development until hatching. The perfect balance and diversity in its nutrients along with its high digestibility and its affordable price has put the egg in the spotlight as a basic food for humans. However, egg still has to face many years of nutritionist recommendations aiming at restricting egg consumption to limit cardiovascular diseases incidence. Most experimental, clinical, and epidemiologic studies concluded that there was no evidence of a correlation between dietary cholesterol brought by eggs and an increase in plasma total-cholesterol. Egg remains a food product of high nutritional quality for adults including elderly people and children and is extensively consumed worldwide. In parallel, there is compelling evidence that egg also contains many and still-unexplored bioactive compounds, which may be of high interest in preventing/curing diseases. This review will give an overview of (1) the main nutritional characteristics of chicken egg, (2) emerging data related to egg bioactive compounds, and (3) some factors affecting egg composition including a comparison of nutritional value between eggs from various domestic species.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/3/684/pdf

The Golden Egg: Nutritional Value, Bioactivities, and Emerging Benefits for Human Health.

This work was aimed at the isolation, purification, and characterization of novel antimicrobial peptides from chicken egg white lysozyme hydrolysate, obtained by peptic digestion and subsequent tryptic digestion. The hydrolysate was composed of over 20 small peptides of less than 1000 Da, and had no enzymatic activity. The water-soluble peptide mixture showed bacteriostatic activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus 23-394) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli K-12). Two bacteriostatic peptides were purified and sequenced. One peptide, with the sequence Ile-Val-Ser-Asp-Gly-Asp-Gly-Met-Asn-Ala-Trp, inhibited Gram-negative bacteria E. coli K-12 and corresponded to amino acid residues 98-108, which are located in the middle part of the helix-loop-helix. Another novel antimicrobial peptide inhibited S. aureus 23-394 and was determined to have the sequence His-Gly-Leu-Asp-Asn-Tyr-Arg, corresponding to amino acid residues 15-21 of lysozyme. These peptides broadened the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme to include Gram-negative bacteria. The results obtained in this study indicate that lysozyme possesses nonenzymatic bacteriostatic domains in its primary sequence and they are released by proteolytic hydrolysis.

Fupeng Ma

Papers

Antimicrobial peptides released by enzymatic hydrolysis of hen egg white lysozyme.

Discovery of a brain-sparing GIRK1/4 inhibitor for pharmacological cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.