In the early 2000s, Abyss Ingredients demonstrated that Peptidyss® significantly reduces anxiety behaviours during an acute stress. Since then, a second study has been conducted in collaboration with the Nutrineuro laboratory. Its objective was to evaluate the effects of Peptidyss® on an acute moderate stress, the equivalent of everyday stress. This study confirmed the anti-stress effect of Peptidyss®. Indeed, during a stress, Peptidyss® reduces the corticosterone secretion (stress hormone, equivalent of cortisol in humans). Peptidyss® would prevent the negative effects of a long-term stress: hypertension, depression, weight management problems etc…
We could have stopped our research there, as the anxiolytic effects of Peptidyss® had been demonstrated twice. But at Abyss, we aim at understanding and knowing how it works. So girls (yes, R&D team at Abyss is 100% girls!), looked into the why and how.
Step 1: Transcriptomic study, Dinel et al., 2020 – Collab. Abyss x Nutrineuro
We evaluated the effect of Peptidyss® on the expression of genes specific to the stress response, in the three main brain structures involved in stress management (hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and amygdala) from this second preclinical study. Euh…okay, but why? Simply because transcriptomics “predicts” what should happen in the organism, during stress in our case, and under the effect of Peptidyss®.
We observed that, during a stress, Peptidyss® modulates the expression of genes involved in the regulation of the HPA axis and mitochondrial activity which are essential pathways for stress management, which confirms the previous results. Peptidyss® also modulates the expression of genes involved in the circadian rhythm: interesting since the two are often linked, isn’t it ?
In addition, we observed a modulation of gene expression in the hippocampus, classically described as being strongly involved in mood regulation.
Anne-Laure Dinel from Nutrineuro explained everything here about a year ago :).
→ Journal of Functional Foods, 2020
Step #2: Proteomic study, Le Faouder et al., 2022 – Collab. Abyss x Protim x Nutrineuro
To complete this study, we carried out, in collaboration with Nutrineuro and Protim, a proteomic analysis of the effects of Peptidyss® during a stress. In other words, this time we observed the modulation induced by Peptidyss® on proteins during a stress, in the hippocampus. And there, it is once again very interesting! Julie Le Faouder, our PhD in Proteomics, answers our neophytes’ questions.
To start, what is proteomics?
Proteomics is a cutting edge analytical technique that we, at Abyss, apply to nutraceutical market. It allows us to understand what is happening in the body in real time and in a given situation. This is a complement to transcriptomics which ‘predicts‘ what should happen. While our transcriptomics study targeted stress response genes (91 genes studied), proteomics allows for an unprejudiced and broader study. We identified more than 5000 proteins!
Results?
Peptidyss® prevents stress-induced dysregulation of proteins involved in:
- Mitochondrial metabolism, which confirms the results obtained by transcriptomics. Mitochondria are endocrine organelles (Nfn1: please refer to attached scheme to better understand what we are talking about) that provide both energy and signals that enable and lead to stress adaptation. Alterations in mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress are observed in cases of high anxiety. By inhibiting stress-induced mitochondrial alterations, Peptidyss® appears to be an interesting solution to manage stress.
- Neural network. Chronic stress has been shown to exert adverse effects on hippocampal neurogenesis and neuroplasticity in patients and animal models, resulting in cognitive and emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety. By modulating hippocampal neurogenesis, Peptidyss® could prevent stress-induced alterations and be an interesting solution for stress and anxiety management.
- Dopamine metabolism. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in cognitive and emotional regulation. It is a precursor of noradrenaline, a stress hormone synthesised during stressful events. Peptidyss® could prevent the deleterious effects of stress by modulating the dopamine pathway.
- Circadian rhythm. This suggests a potential role for Peptidyss® in the regulation of sleep that should be investigated.
What’s next?
Thanks to these recent multi-omics results which highlighted the effect of Peptidyss® on the functioning of our internal clock, we decided to launch a clinical study to evaluate the effects of Peptidyss® on sleep.
The results are more than promising and will be revealed during a coming webinar co-hosted by Claire Le Grand and Elodie Bouvret.
1 Note from a neophyte (to another one)
