Proteolytic enzymes

About: Proteolytic enzymes is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 23096 publications have been published within this topic receiving 835544 citations.

Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Carica papaya

Abstract: Papaya, botanical name Carica papaya, is an lozenge tropical fruit, often seen in orange-red, yellow-green and yellow-orange hues, with a rich orange pulp. The fruit is not just delicious and healthy, but whole plant parts, fruit, roots, bark, peel, seeds and pulp are also known to have medicinal properties. The many benefits of papaya owed due to high content of Vitamins A, B and C, proteolytic enzymes like papain and chymopapain which have antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. Carica papaya can be used for treatment of a numerous diseases like warts, corns, sinuses, eczema, cutaneous tubercles, glandular tumors, blood pressure, dyspepsia, constipation, amenorrhoea, general debility, expel worms and stimulate reproductive organs and many, as a result Carica papaya can be regarded as a Neutraceutical. The present article reviews the pharmacological uses of Carica papaya and side/toxic effects. Carica papaya contains an enzyme known as papain which is present in the bark, leaves and fruit. The milky juice is extracted, dried and used as a chewing gum for digestive problems, toothpaste and meat tenderizers. It also contains many biological active compounds including chymopapain and papain which is the ingredient that aids digestive system, and again used in treatment of arthritis.

Cytokine-induced neutrophil-derived interleukin-8.

Abstract: During acute inflammation, the first line of cellular response for host defense is the neutrophil. In addition to the historic role of the neutrophil as a phagocyte, recent studies have identified this cell as an important source of a number of cytokines. In this study, we provide evidence that the neutrophil is a significant source of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Neutrophils freshly isolated from whole blood were not found to constitutively express IL-8 mRNA. In contrast, when these leukocytes were cultured on plastic they were activated, leading to the significant expression of de novo steady-state levels of IL-8 mRNA. In addition, when neutrophils were treated with cycloheximide, there was evidence for "superinduction" of steady-state levels of IL-8 mRNA and inhibition of antigenic IL-8 production. Neutrophils were subsequently stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or interleukin-1-beta and were found to express IL-8 mRNA and antigen in both a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, neutrophils stimulated with traditional chemotactic/activating factors, such as the split product of the fifth component of complement (C5a), formylmethionyleucylphenylalanine (fMLP), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in a dose-dependent manner did not produce significant antigenic IL-8, as compared with unstimulated controls. In contrast, when neutrophils were exposed to either of these neutrophil agonists in the presence of LPS, the production of antigenic IL-8 was significantly elevated, as compared with either of the stimuli alone, suggesting a synergistic response. These data would suggest that the neutrophil can no longer be viewed as only a phagocyte or warehouse for proteolytic enzymes, but is a pivotal effector cell that is able to respond to mediators in its environment and generate cytokines. This latter neutrophil response may be important for either the elicitation of additional neutrophils or to orchestrate the conventional immune response at sites of inflammation.