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An Overview of Protease Inhibitors
Published in Se-Kwon Kim, Marine Biochemistry, 2023
Veena Sreedharan, K.V. Bhaskara Rao
Proteases are seen in prokaryotes, fungi and animals and are very necessary for their survival. Proteases are enzymes that help to break down proteins in a method known as proteolysis. Such enzymes are present in a wide range of biological activities, from small protein digestion to extremely controlled cascades. Protease, like hormones, antibodies, and other enzymes, shows a vital physiological part in determining the life span of other proteins. In the physiology of organisms, this is one of the profligated “switching on” and “switching off” regulating systems. Proteases are secreted by a variety of bacteria to break the protein–peptide link into simple small monomers. As a result of multiple clinical trials suggesting their benefits in cancer studies include inflammations, immune regulations and blood flow control, their usage in medicine is garnering more and more attention. Many parasites are involved in pathogenesis, which includes parasite relocation through the host tissue barrier, hemoglobin and blood protein breakdown, immunological invasions, and inflammatory activation. Proteases thus show a decisive part in pathogenesis. Wild action, on the other hand, has negative consequences in the human body. These enzymes found within cancer cells have the ability to break other strong cell wall and membrane, allowing them to spread and grow into additional cell organ and part of the body, resulting in spread from one site to another (Figure 19.1).
Marine Algal Secondary Metabolites Are a Potential Pharmaceutical Resource for Human Society Developments
Published in Se-Kwon Kim, Marine Biochemistry, 2023
Somasundaram Ambiga, Raja Suja Pandian, Lazarus Vijune Lawrence, Arjun Pandian, Ramu Arun Kumar, Bakrudeen Ali Ahmed Abdul
Proteases enzymes, commonly known as biological catalysts, are responsible for a wide range of biochemical processes. They’ve been used in a variety of fields, especially therapeutics. The properties of molecules produced from the marine differ from those of their terrestrial counterparts. Marine microbes (epibionts and endosymbionts), which are abundant in unique environments, produce a plethora of medically and industrially essential molecules. These microbes secrete enzymes with specific characteristics like pH, metal, heat and cryo-tolerance and so on. Proteases are enzymes that break down lengthy chains of proteins into smaller fragments. Endopeptidases and exopeptidases are the two large families of proteases depending on their method of action. Exopeptidases degrade terminal amino acid positions attached to polypeptide chains, while endopeptidases catalyze the breakdown of peptide bonds in the middle portion of polypeptide chains. A further way of classifying proteases is by their optimum pH, which might be neutral, acidic, or alkaline. In terms of the active centers involved, enzymes can be classed as cysteine proteases, metalloproteases, serine proteases and aspartyl proteases.
Macronutrients
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
An important function of enzymes is in the digestion of foods. The metabolism of protein foods involves a decomposition into single amino acids by different digestive enzymes (amylase, protease, pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin) from the stomach to the small intestine. Before the absorption in the small intestine, most proteins must be reduced to single amino acid or peptides by specific protein enzymes. Most peptides longer than four amino acids are not absorbed and must be broken into single amino acids. Enzyme production and activity can be decreased with age and illness. Enzymes are present in all foods. However, heat used in cooking, drying, or processing can destroy them. Therefore, fresh foods like fruits and some vegetables are rich in enzymes and help digestion. Some people like to eat raw meat such as raw beefsteak and raw fresh fish; this habit might be helpful for digestion. Enzymes extracted from fruits like papaya, pineapple, kiwifruit, and fig are used as medicines, food-processing agents and dietary supplements. Fruits like papaya, kiwifruit, pineapple and figs are rich in proteases such as papain, actinidin, bromelain, and ficin, respectively, which aid the breakdown of proteins.
Evaluation of the toxicological effects of favipiravir (T-705) on liver and kidney in rats: biochemical and histopathological approach
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2023
Adem Kara, Seda Yakut, Cuneyt Caglayan, Tuğçe Atçalı, Aykut Ulucan, Fatih Mehmet Kandemir
Favipiravir is an RNA polymerase (RNAP) inhibitor which is a family of enzymes and responsible for transcribing the information in a DNA or RNA molecule as an RNA molecule. The process of copying the information contained in a gene as an RNA molecule is called transcription. RNAP enzymes found in many viruses and living things allow genes to be read as RNA strands in the cells. Molecular studies revealed that viral proteases play a critical role in the life cycle of many viruses, either by influencing the cleavage of high molecular weight viral polyprotein precursors for the functional products or by catalyzing the processing of structural proteins. Nowadays, many types of research are conducted on protease inhibitors to treat infections caused by many RNA and DNA viruses, such as HIV, HCV, Picornaviruses, RSV, Herpes viruses, Rotavirus, and SARS (Mendenhall et al. 2011b, Goldhill et al. 2018, Musa 2020).
Chemical tools to monitor bladder cancer progression
Published in Biomarkers, 2022
Natalia Gruba, Lech Stachurski, Adam Lesner
The individual proteases, with their wide range of targets, a multiplicity of activation mechanisms, and proposed effects on tumour progression and metastasis, cannot be fully understood without considering them in the proper context with upstream and downstream proteases that may act as activators or substrates (Mason and Joyce 2011). While the clinical importance of detecting protease activity in vivo is well understood, it is quite difficult to achieve. The early detection of small primary tumours is critical for successful cancer treatment and patient management (Yang et al. 2009). Unfortunately, urinary enzymes investigated so far cannot be considered single tumour markers due to their low sensitivity and specificity. That is the reason why we decided to measure the overall proteolytic activity of urine samples from diagnosed bladder cancer patients. To investigate the enzymatic activity we used chromogenic peptides.
Influences of Aflatoxin B1 on main intestinal bacteria communities and enzyme activities in mice
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2019
Lu He, Yawei Liu, Yanfang Guo, Nenqun Xiao, Zhoujin Tan
Amylase and protease are secreted by the intestinal tract while cellulase and xylanase are secreted by intestinal microorganisms. They are closely related to digestion and absorption as well as growth and development. The results of this study essentially supported the hypothesis that enzyme activity of the AFB1 groups presented a strengthening trend after intragastric administration of AFB1 solution. AFB1 solution could inhibit the damage on the organism and promote the activity of some digestive enzymes at low concentration. Meanwhile, the inhibiting effect on beneficial bacteria is not obvious, which can be used to explain the little changes in general situation of the mice and the overlook of carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and mutagenicity. In addition, proteases are the catalysts that hydrolyze proteins into amino acids and enzymatic degradation of proteins is an important part of life, especially in digestion, immunity, and complement system. The results showed that the protease activity reduced as the increasing concentration of AFB1, which may be related to acute poisoning induced by AFB1 with high concentration.