Antioxidant activity of some antiproteases

Proteolytic enzymes and reactive oxygen molecules participate in the pathogenesis of models of acute inflammation, and antiproteases have been used to determine proteolytic participation in these models. However, antiproteases have been demonstrated to directly inhibit inflammatory cells. In this report, significant antioxidant effects of antiproteases are described. These effects involve both scavenging of oxygen radicals and direct inhibition of enzymes capable of producing oxygen radicals. These results suggest using caution in implicating proteolytic mechanisms solely on the basis of antiprotease inhibition of expected phenomena.