Anne‐Marie Fiat

The present paper is devoted to the study of short peptides derived from milk proteins with physiological activities. Some of them behaved as opioids, enzyme inhibitors that convert angiotensin I, peptides that enhance calcium absorption, antiaggregating and antithrombotic peptides, and immunomodulating peptides. Some possessed several physiological properties, such as the C-terminal part of bovine alpha s1-casein. A strategic zone, containing immunostimulating and opioid peptides, could be located in cow and human beta-caseins. Few of these peptides or precursor peptides have so far been characterized in vivo in blood or brain after ingestion of milk. If, in the future, some of the active peptides cannot be characterized in vivo, they can all nevertheless be synthesized and used either as food additives or in pharmacology.

A large number of similarities have previously been noted between the blood and milk clotting phenomena [Jollès, P. (1975) Mol. Cell. Biochem. 7, 73-85; Jollès, P. & Henschen, A. (1982) Trends Biochem. Sci. 7, 325-328]: some analogous features have also been found between fibrinogen and kappa-casein. In this connection, the effect of a natural and a synthetic peptide derived from kappa-casein on platelet function was studied: the undecapeptide Met-Ala-Ile-Pro-Pro-Lys-Lys-Asn-Gln-Asp-Lys (residues 106----116 of cow kappa-casein) inhibited both aggregation of ADP-treated platelets and binding of 125I-fibrinogen to ADP-treated platelets: its behaviour was similar to that of the structurally related C-terminal dodecapeptide of human fibrinogen gamma-chain.

Bovine and human kappa-caseinoglycopeptides, two antithrombotic peptides derived from the corresponding kappa-caseins, were detected in physiologically active concentrations in the plasma of 5-d-old newborn infants after ingestion of cow's-milk-based formula or human milk respectively. It is suggested that these two bioactive peptides are released from milk proteins during digestion.