Trypsin Slows the Aging of Mice due to Its Novel Superoxide Scavenging Activity

Trypsin is an endogenous enzyme that is generally used as a proteinase. Intriguingly, we found that trypsin had superoxide scavenging activity. In the current study, our results showed that trypsin scavenges superoxide in either intracorporal or extracorporal systems. In the light of the porcupine plots of trypsin compounds generated by ProDy, the copper ion binds to trypsin and accelerates the superoxide scavenging activity of trypsin by increasing the stability of the structure. Furthermore, the data on the age-related parameters showed that the aging of mice could be slowed by trypsin, at least in part, due to its superoxide scavenging activity. These results suggested that trypsin is an effective superoxide scavenger and has potential as a novel agent to promote health and improve aging-associated pathologies.