The efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine has highlighted the significance of the potential of peptides. As a result, most researchers are now working with these short amino acid chains and benefiting from their application across various industries.
However, there is still one significant challenge here, which revolves around the stability of peptides. This stability affects the shelf life and efficacy of these peptides, while the issue here is that there are multiple factors that influence this.
This makes it very important that researchers talk about and understand these factors while working with peptides. If you plan to buy peptides for research purposes, this blog will familiarize you with some of those factors and help you understand how to mitigate their effects for your benefit.
Table of Contents
1. Length of the Peptide
The first destabilizing factor here is the length of the peptide, which has more influence on its stability than you would have imagined. You must clarify that most longer peptides are more unstable simply because of lower conformational flexibility. But your worries do not end here because shorter peptides also lack certain structural elements that affect the peptide’s stability.
2. Sequence of the Peptide
As you know, peptides have sequences of amino acids, and the form of this sequence significantly impacts its stability. Amino acids leave behind residues such as proline, which can form bends or kinks in the peptide’s structure. Naturally, this has a direct impact on the stability and conformation of the peptide.
In certain cases, even the presence of hydrophilic or hydrophobic amino acids also influences how the peptide interacts with water and other molecules. This further affects the overall solubility and stability of the peptide, which could potentially hamper the results of your experiments.
3. Structure of the Peptide
Another important destabilizing factor in peptides is their tertiary and secondary structure. In terms of the secondary structures, we have beta sheets and alpha helices that have the potential to destabilize a peptide. Then, there are the disulfide bonds generally formed between the cysteine residues, which can destabilize the entire structure of the peptide.
4. pH Levels of the Peptide
Not many realize this, but even the pH level of a peptide can be the biggest culprit behind its destabilization. In cases of extreme pH, peptides are highly susceptible to hydrolysis at alkaline and acidic pH values. When the peptide reaches the isoelectric point, you can use it as an indicator of stability under different pH levels.
One simple way to address this issue is to use the right amount of buffering. This will go a long way in maintaining the right pH level within the stable range. As a result, you can stabilize the peptide much more easily and minimize degradation for better chances of a successful experiment.
Final Thoughts
Peptides are very useful in today’s day and age with their diverse application across various fields. This is what makes it so important for researchers to have a clear understanding of these destabilizing factors mentioned above and take the right steps accordingly. So, get your peptides from Lotilabs and remember these factors to ensure your peptide remains stable.