title: Plant cysteine proteinases: evaluation of the pharmacological activity.
abstract: Cysteine proteinases are involved in virtually every aspect of plant physiology and development. They play a role in development, senescence, programmed cell death, storage and mobilization of germinal proteins, and in response to various types of environmental stress. In this review, we focus on a group of plant defensive enzymes occurring in germinal tissue of Caricaceae. These enzymes elicit a protective response in the unripe fruit after physical stress. We propose that these enzymes follow a strategy similar to mammalian serine proteinases involved in blood clotting and wound healing. We show evidence for the pharmacological role of plant cysteine proteinases in mammalian wound healing, immunomodulation, digestive conditions, and neoplastic alterations.
authors.affiliation: Departamentos de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil. cesbufmg@icb.ufmg.br
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: Marco T R
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Miriam T P
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lopes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D031241:Caricaceae / Q000201:enzymology*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010206:Papain / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000201:enzymology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000201:enzymology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010206:Papain