Mechanistic study on the anti-proinflammatory activity of Kunitz type inhibitor from Caesalpinia decapetala seeds

The study reports the biochemical characterization and mechanism of action of a novel 19.6 kDa protease inhibitor (PIs) isolated from the seeds of Caesalpinia decapetala belonging to the Fabaceae family. A systematic study was performed to ascertain the purity, specificity, biochemical and structural characterization, and its potential in curbing inflammation in vitro conditions. A two-step chromatography technique was used to purify the PIs. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight were employed to detect the molecular mass of the protein. N-terminal sequence analysis of the inhibitor showed sequence similarity with the Kunitz family PIs. The in vitro test tube assay was performed for determining the anti-inflammatory activity and the inhibitor is antiproliferative against macrophage (RAW264.7) and lung cancer cell lines (A549). An effective decrease in the release of inflammatory mediators (NO, IL-6, TNF-alpha) and on the activity of elastase was observed in macrophage cell lines (RAW264.7) which were treated with PIs. The purified inhibitor shows promising results against inflammation.

Automated summary

This study characterized a novel protease inhibitor (PIs) isolated from Caesalpinia decapetala seeds and investigated its mechanism of action. The purified PIs showed promising results in curbing inflammation, by inhibiting inflammatory response and reducing the release of inflammatory mediators.