Isolation and Characterization of Edestin from Cheungsam Hempseed

Abstract

Edestin, a major hempseed storage protein from Cheungsam, was isolated to apparent homogeneity by acid precipitation and gel filtration chromatography. The native molecular weight of purified edestin was approximately 300 kDa by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. Upon adding 2-mercaptoethanol, the isolated edestin of 56.7 kDa on the non-reduced sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel was converted into subunits, suggesting that the protein might be composed of subunits linked by disulfide bond. Cheungsam edestin was rich in essential amino acids and it has 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity. The results suggest that Cheungsam edestin might be utilized as a superior antioxidative nutrient.