DIETARY PEPTIDES AS MODULATORS OF IMMUNE CELL FUNCTION

Abstract

Carnosine and anserine are dietary peptides, with antioxidant activity, found in meat and fish. Many food constituents modulate the human immune system, prompting an investigation as to whether these peptides can be included in this category. The effects examined include the respiratory burst, IL-1 and TNF-? release, apoptosis, and the expression of integrins. The results show that carnosine and anserine can increase the respiratory burst response as well as IL-1 and TNF-? release by human neutrophils. However, carnosine also reduces their spreading. More crucially, the dipeptides were found to have differential effects on the survival of human neutrophils and human tumor cell lines, enhancing the former but decreasing the latter. Furthermore, it was shown that carnosine may bind to a protein of approximately 75 kD on the neutrophil surface. These results suggest that the dietary peptides have potential as immune modulators.