Influence of peptide characteristics on their stability, intestinal transport, and in vitro bioavailability: A review

In recent years, large amounts of peptides have been purified and characterized from food protein hydrolysates. Many of these peptides have been demonstrated to be of potential application as health-improving ingredients against plenty of disease conditions, such as cancer, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. The real efficacy of functional application of these peptides depends on their stability, transport, and bioavailability in target tissues, which in turn depends on the peptides characteristics. Therefore, the characteristic-function parameters are crucial for peptides using as functional agents. This review article intends to summarize the effects of peptide characteristics, including molecular weight, charge and hydrophobicity, on their stability, intestinal transport, and in vitro bioavailability. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In the near future, bioactive peptides will play important roles in the area of functional foods and pharmacy. However, the gastrointestinal digestion and transport usually restrict their bioavailability in vivo. Understanding the relationships between peptide characteristics and their digestion stability, bioavailability may provide guidance and theoretical basis for the further application of bioactive peptides.