title: New protein inhibitors of cysteine proteinases in human saliva and salivary glands.
abstract: New protein inhibitors of cysteine proteinases were found in human saliva and salivary glands. The inhibitory potency present in saliva against ficin is about 30% of that in serum: 1 ml of saliva gives 100% inhibition of 1 nmol of ficin. The same amount of saliva causes no inhibition of 1 nmol of trypsin. The salivary inhibitors occur as multiple forms with different isoelectric points (pI of 4.5-4.7, 5.8, 6.8, 7.8 and 8.2) and different molecular masses of approximately 16, 11, 10, 9.5 and 9 kDa. The inhibitor forms having molecular masses of less than 11 kDa have not yet been described by other authors. The salivary inhibitors have a high thermal stability and a high stability both in alkaline and acidic solutions.
mesh_terms: D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012463:Saliva / Q000032:analysis*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000032:analysis*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases
chemical_list: D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D011506:Proteins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases