A Multifunctional Trypsin Protease Inhibitor from Yellow Bell Pepper Seeds

Fungal infections are a growing public health concern worldwide and the emergence of antifungal resistance has limited the number of therapeutic options. Therefore, developing novel strategies for identifying and developing new antifungal compounds is an active area of research in the pharmaceutical...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Cotabarren, Juliana|||0000-0001-7132-473X, Ozón, Brenda|||0009-0003-6368-3742, Claver, Santiago, Geier, Florencia, Rossotti, Martina, Garcia-Pardo, Javier|||0000-0001-9179-6371, Obregón, Walter David
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:281956
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/281956
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15030781
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Antifungal
Bioactive compound
Bioactive peptide
Capsicum annuum L.
Candida albicans
Protease
Protease inhibitor
Phytocystatin
Trypsin inhibitor
Natural product
Descripción
Sumario:Fungal infections are a growing public health concern worldwide and the emergence of antifungal resistance has limited the number of therapeutic options. Therefore, developing novel strategies for identifying and developing new antifungal compounds is an active area of research in the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, we purified and characterized a trypsin protease inhibitor obtained from Yellow Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds. The inhibitor not only showed potent and specific activity against the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, but was also found to be non-toxic against human cells. Furthermore, this inhibitor is unique in that it also inhibits α-1,4-glucosidase, positioning it as one of the first plant-derived protease inhibitors with dual biological activity. This exciting discovery opens new avenues for the development of this inhibitor as a promising antifungal agent and highlights the potential of plant-derived protease inhibitors as a rich source for the discovery of novel multifunctional bioactive molecules.