Serine protease from Bothrops asper snake venom and its inhibition in the presence of hesperitin

Abstract

Our studies focus on the biochemical activity of a serine protease, named BaSP1 (Bothrops asper Serine Protease 1), derived from Bothrops asper snake venom; in the presence of hesperitin, a flavonoid obtained by the hydrolysis of hesperidin, which was obtained from citrus peel or juice. We obtained indications that hesperitin acts as an inhibitor of BaSP1. In order to evaluate the interactions between inhibitor and enzyme, circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy and enzymatic assays were performed.