Poster Presentation The 16th Australian Peptide Conference 2025

Harnessing nature’s green pharmacy: exploring plant peptides with therapeutic potential (#217)

Antonio Sanchez Mc Sweeney 1 2 , Anwar Sunna 1 2 , Alfonso Garcia-Bennett 1 2 , Mitchell Low 3
  1. School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  2. ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Facilitated Advancement of Australia’s Bioactives, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bioactive peptides hold great promise for health-promoting activities, such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, or anti-hypertensive, making them strong candidates for novel therapeutics and functional foods1. The growing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly products has led to increased interest in plant-derived bioactive peptides as alternatives to animal-derived peptides and conventional pharmaceuticals2. Bioactive peptides are generally nontoxic, sustainable, cost-effective, and culturally accepted for use in both food and pharmaceutical industries1,2.

 

This study explores the discovery of novel bioactive peptides from three plant sources: sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.), ginkgo leaves (Ginkgo biloba L.) and eucalyptus leaves (Eucalyptus spp.). Proteins were extracted and subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using five different proteases to simulate diverse digestion conditions. Initial screening of the hydrolysates revealed significant antioxidant activity, particularly from ginkgo and eucalyptus leaf extracts.

 

Hydrolysates were analysed via LC-MS, and potential bioactive peptides were identified using bioinformatics-based prediction tools. Based on predicted multifunctional activities and antioxidant screening results, four peptides - two from sunflower, one from ginkgo, and one from eucalyptus - were selected and chemically synthesized for in vitro testing.

 

Preliminary in vitro assays show promising outcomes. Three of the selected peptides exhibited significant angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, suggesting potential for cardiovascular health applications. The peptides also demonstrated antioxidant activity. Current work includes evaluating anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective properties to fully assess the therapeutic potential of these peptides. This research advances the understanding of plant-derived peptides and highlights the value of systematic screening in natural product discovery for therapeutic, nutraceutical and functional foods applications.

  1. 1. Purohit K., Reddy N., Sunna A. 2024. Exploring the potential of bioactive peptides: from natural sources to therapeutics. International Journal of Molecular Science. 25 (3): 1,391.
  2. 2. Sun, L., Liu J., He Z., Du R. 2024. Plant-derived as alternatives to animal-derived bioactive peptides: a review of the preparation, bioactivities, structure–activity relationships, and applications in chronic diseases. Nutrients. 16 (19): 3,277.