Protease inhibitor activity of plant natural products as leishmanicine agents / Atividade de inibidores de proteases de produtos naturais contra agentes leishmanicidas

Objective: Investigate plant natural products with inhibitory activity of Leishmania proteases, because the inhibition certain proteases induce parasite death. Methods: Descriptive/exploratory study, integrative review type. The search was performed in following databases: Scientific Electronic Library OnLine (SciELO), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Latin American Caribbean Health Science Database (LILACS) PUBMED. descriptors were used combination, from consultation Descriptors Sciences (DECS) Subject Headings (MeSH), were: (Leishmania) AND (Protease Inhibitor) (Vegetable extracts); (Plant Extracts). Studies English Portuguese, published between 2000 2020, included. Finally, articles categorized analyzed. Results discussion: This included eight studies, 2020. There two publications 2014, 2017 2019, relation to language, all studies English. Five carried out India, Brazil one Iran. Seven these found PUBMED database MEDLINE, experimental, comprising vitro research or using mice as animal models. Conclusions: It noted that they use similar protocols for isolation protease inhibitor species (affinity chromatography) sp. (cell lysis protein precipitation affinity chromatography). However, involving inhibitors are still scarce, requiring further on subject, since understanding functioning molecules has much contribute development new therapeutic targets.