Papain

Papain, also known as papaya proteinase I, is a cysteine protease (EC 3.4.22.2) enzyme that is found in species of papaya, Carica papaya and Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis. The enzyme is found to be localized in the skin of papaya, and is collected from slashed unripe papayas as a crude latex. Papain is used in food, pharmaceutical, textile, and cosmetic industries. While it has been used for the treatment of inflammation and pain via topical administration, papain has also shown to have anthelmintic and tooth-whitening properties. Present in over-the-counter mixture products consisting of different digestive enzymes, its active site contains a catalytic diad that plays a role in breaking peptide bonds. Papain is also used as an ingredient in various enzymatic debriding preparations.

No FDA-approved therapeutic indications.