Peptides, often regarded as the unsung heroes of the molecular world, play a pivotal role in the intricate dance of life at the cellular level. They’re like the behind-the-scenes heroes in the story of how our bodies work. From helping wounds heal faster to slowing down the aging process, peptides have a big role to play in your body. Curious to know more about peptides? We’ll break it down for you.
What is a Peptide?
Both peptides and proteins consist of polymers, long chains of amino acids connected by peptide bonds. Peptides and proteins are identical save for their size. There is no hard and fast rule, but peptides are generally shorter and less complex than proteins as they include fewer amino acids. A protein is an amino acid chain with more than 50 individual units. This is because peptides, once they reach a size of more than 50 amino acids, begin to fold in on themselves, forming forms and linkages known as secondary structures. The size limit is based on the fact that…