A critical review on marine serine protease and its inhibitors: A new wave of drugs?

Marine organisms are rich sources of enzymes and their inhibitors having enormous therapeutic potential. Among different proteolytic enzymes, serine proteases, which can be obtained from various marine organisms show a potential to biomedical application as thrombolytic agents. Although this type of proteases plays a crucial role in almost all biological processes, their uncontrolled activity often leads to several diseases. Accordingly, the actions of these types of proteases are regulated by serine protease inhibitors (SPIs). Marine SPIs control complement activation and various other physiological functions, such as inflammation, immune function, fibrinolysis, blood clotting, and cancer metastasis. This review highlights the potential use of serine proteases and their inhibitors as the new wave of promising drugs. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Marine organisms are valuable sources of enzymes and their inhibitors with great therapeutic potential, particularly serine proteases and their inhibitors showing promise in biomedical applications. The uncontrolled activity of these proteases can lead to diseases, but their actions are regulated by serine protease inhibitors to maintain physiological functions.