What does one mean by ‘Peptide Synthesis?’

In terms of organic chemistry, peptide synthesis can be referred as a production of peptides, compounds which are formed with the linking of amino acids through amino bonds, usually called as peptide bonds. A chain of usually 30-35 amino acids is formed in one bond.

The condensation reaction of the carboxyl group of one amino acid to the amino group of another synthesizes the peptides. The use of this method is common in areas like biological research and product and drug development.

Significant commercial and pharmaceutical products are a form of peptide synthesis such as:

·         Dipeptide sugar substitute

·         Clinically used hormones like oxytocin and adrenocorticotropic.

·         400+ peptides are used in clinical studies

SPPS – Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis

The synthesis of peptide was first recorded in the early 50’s or 60’s, but it came in major use after Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis was introduced. It became more useful in the practical world after this technique was introduced and thus its demand in the market has reached multi-billion dollar level.

This method allows the rapid assembly of a peptide chain through successive reactions of amino acid derivatives on a porous support that is insoluble in nature.

It is an amalgamation of tiny yet solid support made of polymeric resin beads functionalized with reactive groups (such as amine or hydroxyl groups). These acids link it to another chain that is referred as nascent peptide chain. The excess reagents and side products can be eradicated at later stages by the process of washing and filtration.

Why SPPS is better than other methods?

The other approaches of isolation of peptide are rather time consuming that demands for a long pause after each step. With the SPPS method, the whole process gets completed swiftly and the results come out extremely resourceful. 

Application area of synthetic peptide:

·         Studies regarding polypeptides

·         Peptide hormones

·         Hormon analogues

·         Cross-reacting antibody preparation

·         Design of novel enzymes

How to be careful while processing the peptide synthesis?

The process of forming peptide synthesis must be undertaken with great care as to avoid side reactions that may length of the peptide chain and also may cause branching of the same. There are few tips that one must consider while processing peptide synthesis and some of those are as follows:

·         Make use of purified, individual amino acids to synthesize peptides.

·         After the completion of the synthesizing process of peptide, the remaining protective groups shall be removed.

·         "Temporary" protecting groups are used to safeguard the amino acid.

Purification of Peptide Synthesis

A large percentage of peptide synthesis services purify the products with the use of Reverse-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography also termed as HPLC. However, in certain cases the substitute methods of ion exchange or gel filtration chromatography can also be applied. There is a special range of peptides known as Custom Peptide Synthesis are unusual in nature and require special services. There are different grades of purity requirement for different purposes and the purity in peptide synthesis ranges from less than 75% to more than 95%.