Protease inhibitors

In biochemistry, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) is a serine protease inhibitor (serine hydrolase inactivator) commonly used in the preparation of cell lysates. PMSF does not inactivate all serine proteases. The effective concentration of PMSF is between 0.1 - 1 mM. The half-life is short in aqueous solutions (110 min at pH 7, 55 min at pH 7.5, and 35 min at pH 8, all at 25 °C). At 4˚C, pH 8, PMSF is almost completely degraded after 1 day. Stock solutions are usually made up in anhydrous ethanol, isopropanol, or corn oil and diluted immediately before use.

class of antiviral drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C

compound which inhibits or antagonizes the biosynthesis or actions of proteases (endopeptidases).

'''N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM''') is an organic compound that is derived from maleic acid. It is a unstable substance that reacts rapidly with thiols and is commonly used to modify cysteine residues in proteins and peptides.

chemical compound

Ubenimex (INN), also known more commonly as bestatin, is a competitive, reversible protease inhibitor. It is an inhibitor of arginyl aminopeptidase (aminopeptidase B), leukotriene A4 hydrolase (a zinc metalloprotease that displays both epoxide hydrolase and aminopeptidase activities), alanyl aminopeptidase (aminopeptidase M/N), leucyl/cystinyl aminopeptidase (oxytocinase/vasopressinase), and membrane dipeptidase (leukotriene D4 hydrolase). It is being studied for use in the treatment of acute myelocytic leukemia and lymphedema. It is derived from Streptomyces olivoreticuli. Ubenimex has been f

Pepstatin is a potent inhibitor of aspartyl proteases. It is a hexa-peptide containing the unusual amino acid statine (Sta, (3S,4S)-4-amino-3-hydroxy-6-methylheptanoic acid), having the sequence Isovaleryl-Val-Val-Sta-Ala-Sta (Iva-Val-Val-Sta-Ala-Sta). It was originally isolated from cultures of various species of Actinomyces due to its ability to inhibit pepsin at picomolar concentrations. It was later found to inhibit nearly all acid proteases with high potency and, as such, has become a valuable research tool, as well as a common constituent of protease inhibitor cocktails.

The cystatins are a family of cysteine protease inhibitors which share a sequence homology and a common tertiary structure of an alpha helix lying on top of an anti-parallel beta sheet. The family is subdivided as described below.

chemical compound

Leupeptin, also known as '''N-acetyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-argininal''', is a naturally occurring protease inhibitor that can inhibit cysteine, serine and threonine peptidases.