Therapeutic potential of proteases in acute lung injury and respiratory distress syndrome via TLR4/Nrf2/NF-kB signaling modulation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to acute lung injury and respiratory distress syndrome as major causes of death, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatments. Protease enzymes possess a wide range of beneficial effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and fibrinolytic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of bacterial protease and chymotrypsin in rats in mitigating acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.

Bacterial protease alleviate chronic liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide through suppression of hepatic stellate cells consequently decrease its proliferative index.

In chronic liver diseases, liver fibrosis occurs due to excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) protein accumulation. Approximately 2 million deaths occur yearly due to liver disease, while cirrhosis is the 11th most common cause of death. Therefore, newer compounds or biomolecules must be synthesized to treat chronic liver diseases.