Demonstration of in vitro anticancer properties of peptide fractions from a snow crab by-products hydrolysate after separation by electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membranes

A mixture of polypeptides originating from a snow crab by-products hydrolysate has been separated by electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membrane (EDUF), a process recently patented, in order to concentrate active biomolecules and to purify them for further characterization. It appeared that the EDUF separation efficiency was constant as a function of time and that the process was selective. Amongst the 11 fractions detected initially in the hydrolysate, only four fractions were recovered in the KCl1 (for the recovery of anionic peptides) and KCl2 (for the recovery of cationic peptides) compartments. Moreover, a simultaneous separation was performed allowing the recuperation of two anionic peptides with respective molecular masses of 537 and 216 Da while three cationic peptides associated to molecular masses of 228, 241 and 291 Da were also identified. The KCl fractions obtained in the different pH separation conditions were tested to evaluate their in vitro anticancer properties. Only the KCl2 fraction separated at pH 6 showed anti-cancer activities.

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► We use EDUF technology for the simultaneous fractionation of snow crab by-products hydrolysate.
► We recover two specific anionic peptides and three cationic peptides.
► We isolate a specific peptide fraction which exhibit anticancer properties.
► We propose that anticancer peptide sequence contain histidin residue(s).