PROTEASES AND THEIR INHIBITORS IN COAGULATION AND INFLAMMATION

Proteases or peptidases are molecules that promote cleavage through the hydrolysis of peptide bonds present in proteins and polypeptides, transforming them into smaller amino acid or polypeptide residues. The group of serine proteases is predominant in peptidases and is found in almost all living organisms, constituting the family of proteases best characterized and physiologically versatile. Within the serine proteases are protease inhibitors, proteins capable of blocking and / or inhibiting the catalytic activity of proteolytic enzymes, being found naturally in most living organisms. In serine protease inhibitors, two distinct categories have already been classified, entrapment inhibitors and high affinity inhibitors. The hemostatic system participates in maintaining balance in living organisms, maintaining adequate blood pressure and perfusion, controlling bleeding caused by damage to blood vessels, through processes known as coagulation, where most factors in the coagulation cascade are serine proteases or cofactors . Among the most important serine proteases that act in the coagulation cascade are some coagulation factors (II, VII, IX, X, XI, XII, for example), the vasodilating molecule kallikrein, which is also a serine protease that acts on various substrates releasing vasoactive peptides, exercising their natural functions. In disorders in this cascade, medicine uses inhibitors with anticoagulant action, managing to reverse or inhibit these diseases. In inflammatory reactions, which is an essential step for controlling microbial invasion or tissue damage, as well as for maintaining tissue homeostasis, neutrophils secrete serine proteases such as neutrophil elastase (NE1), proteinase 3 (PR3) and cathepsin G ( CG), which are components of one of the most important molecular arsenals for the defense of the organism. Therefore, these facts suggest that new studies in this area are of great relevance to the evolution of science and medicine