Are There Any Natural Protease Inhibitors?
                                
                                
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                                    5 min read                                
                            
                                Over half of all marketed protease inhibitor drugs are derived from natural products or are nature-inspired. Yes, there are many natural protease inhibitors, which are bioactive compounds found abundantly in plants, and to a lesser extent, in microbes and invertebrates. These inhibitors interfere with the action of proteolytic enzymes and are a key part of an organism's defensive systems.