Screening and Purification of a Novel Trypsin Inhibitor from Prosopis juliflora Seeds with Activity Toward Pest Digestive Enzymes

Several pests are capable of decreasing crop production causing severe economical and social losses. Aiming to find novel molecules that could impede the digestion process of different pests, a screening of a-amylase and trypsin-like proteinase inhibitors was carried out in Prosopis juliflora, showing the presence of both in dry seeds. Furthermore, a novel trypsin inhibitor, with molecular mass of 13,292 Da, was purified showing remarkable in vitro activity against T. castaneum and C. maculatus.