What is beta peptide?

Beta peptide is a type of macromolecule with important biochemical properties that consist of beta amino acids. Beta peptides are a type of peptidomimetics, molecules known as alpha peptides, or simply peptides with chemical structures similar to groups of molecules and necessary for their role in synthesis of proteins, metabolism and other biological processes. However, unlike regular peptides, most forms of beta peptides are not common. Beta peptides are used in medicine because their chemical structure makes it possible to imitate or improve the effects of some alpha peptides. In the alpha amino acids, amin and carboxylic acid are tied to the same carbon atom, called alpha carbon. In beta amino acids, which form abeta peptide, however, carboxylic acid connects to alpha carbon, while peptide connects to another carbon atom, called beta carbon.

All peptides are polymers, large molecules made from a chain of chemically bound recurring smaller units. The constitutional amino acids of peptides are held together by a number of covalent bonds in which the amino groups of each unit are connected to the group of carboxylic acid another unit in the chain. The chemical structure of peptides is the same as for proteins, but the proteins are longer. The dividing line between peptides and proteins is not sharply defined, although one common definition applies the term peptide to polymer chains 50 amino acids or less and the term protein on the molecules greater than that.

Several types of beta peptide are used as a medical treatment. Alfa peptides are useful in antibiotic drugs, but they are often vulnerable to break or degrade enzymes in the patient's body, a process called proteolysis. Some types of beta peptide are able to produce the same healing effects as their alpha peptide counterparts, but are chemically different enough to resist proteolysis.

Beta Alanin is the only beta amino acid common nature, so beta peptides, such as those used in beta -based antibiotics, are synthesized artificially. The most common method is called ARNDT - EISTERT or ARNDT SYNDT SYNDT - EISTERT, named after chemists Bernd Eatert and Fritz Arndt. This method changes the alpha amino acid to beta amino acids by sequences of chmeal reactions by means of light, heat or silver oxide as catalyst