NMR and simulated annealing investigations of bradykinin in presence of polyphenols

Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of some cardiovascular degenerative diseases appears to be lower in populations with regular but moderate drinking of red wine rich in polyphenols. One of the most important properties of polyphenols is to form complexes with proteins. The linear nonapeptide hormone bradykinin (H-Arg(1)-Pro(2)-Pro(3)-Gly(4)-Phe(5)-Ser(6)-Pro(7)-Phe(8)-Arg(9)-OH) is involved in a variety of physiological processes such as the cardiovascular processes. Thus. the goal of this work was to study the effects of tannins on the peptide structure by NMR investigations and molecular modeling. The results of these investigations show that in the presence of catechin, the peptide conformation is not affected and is in a random coil structure. On the contrary, the peptide structure is modified by the addition of dimeric proanthocyanidin B3 (catechin 4 alpha -->8 catechin). The dimer leads to the formation of a large flexible turn between the 6-9 residues. Thus, the biological activities of bradykinin in the presence of polyphenols could be affected.