Bromelain Enzyme: Background InformationBromelain, derived from the pineapple plant, is one of a group of proteolytic enzymes (enzymes capable of digesting protein). Bromelain is particularly useful for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation and as a digestive aid. Supplements are made from enzymes found in the pineapple stem.

Bromelain is believed to be an effective blood thinner and anti-inflammatory that works by breaking down fibrin, a blood-clotting protein that can impede good circulation and prevent tissues from draining properly. Bromelain also blocks the production of compounds that can cause swelling and pain. When inflammation is reduced, blood can move more easily to a traumatized area, alleviate pain, and help healing.

"Bromelain Enzyme." Natural Health Herbal, Vitamin and Nutritional Supplements | NutraSanus. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nutrasanus.com/bromelain.html>.

sulfhydryl proteolytic enzyme

Bromelain is a natural anticoagulant that works by breaking down the blood-clotting protein fibrin. This may help to explain why results of at least two clinical trials suggest that the enzyme can help to improve the symptoms of angina and thrombophlebitis. As well as thinning the blood, bromelain also thins mucus, and thus maybe of benefit to asthmatics and people suffering from chronic bronchitis. There is also evidence that bromelain can trigger beneficial changes in white blood cells, and thus may improve immune function. However, whether or not the enzyme would be beneficial to immunocompromised people has not been established clinically. Bromelain has potent anti-inflammatory properties and therefore may be useful in promoting the healing of minor muscle injuries such as sprains and strains. Results of one study also found evidence to suggest that it can help to improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. When applied topically it may help to speed wound healing. There has also been some suggestion that bromelain has anti-cancer properties, although this has not been proven. Several recent studies have linked chronic inflammation to cancer, thus any anti-cancer action of bromelain could be due to it anti-inflammatory properties. The enzyme may also enhance the effect of the antibiotics amoxicillin, erythromycin, penicillamine, and penicillin. In a study of people with urinary tract infections,100% of participants given antibiotics in combination with bromelain and another enzyme called trypsin were cured of their infection, compared with just 46% who received antibiotics alone.Bromelain aids digestion by enhancing the effects of the digestive enzymes trypsin and pepin. It can also help to prevent heartburn by ease diarrhea, if either are caused by a deficiency of digestive enzymes. Bromelain

supplements often contain a plant pigment called quercetin. The two substances are found in combination simply because they enhance each other’s antiinflammatory actions, and that bromelain appears to improve quercetin absorption.

"Bromelain (Pineapple enzyme) | Worldhealth.net Anti-Aging News ." Worldhealth.net: Global Resource for Anti-Aging Medicine . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://www.worldhealth.net/news/bromelain_pineapple_enzyme/>.

The bromelains are proteases from vegetable origin, obtained from several species of Bromeliaceae family, which are found in pineapple’s stem and fruit. The bromelains uses are based on its proteolytic activity on food industries and mostly at Brazilian pharmaceutical industry. The bromelains has been documented by its therapeutic effects at all inflammatory conditions, in addition to its attested efficiency of cure of various health problems, such as angina, indigestion and respiratory problems.Various bromelains’ purification methods have been studied, particularly bromelain of pineapple stem. Aqueous two-phase system has been applied for several years as a good laboratorial separation technique and it can be used as a pre-purification step. This system has been tested with large success, it is formed by two aqueous phases immiscible or partially miscible within themselves, obtained by the addition of hydrophilic polymers or one hydrophilic polymer and a salt, such as the poly(ethylene glycol) – PEG – and potassium phosphate salt systems.This work studied the enzyme characterization and recovery presented in the pineapple’s stem and peel, by aqueous two-phase systems (ATPs) liquid-liquid extraction. Batch assays were performed aiming the enzyme extraction and recuperation, using the partition coefficient as indicator.The phase diagrams from PEG and potassium phosphate salts aqueous two-phase systems (ATPs) were obtained for PEG with molecular weight of 4000 at pH 6.0 to 11.0, at 25 oC. Three different tie-lines were also studied. The pH and tie-line length influence on the enzyme partition coefficient were analyzed.Bromelain is the name of a group of powerful protein-digesting, or proteolytic, enzymes that are found in the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus). These enzymes are a mixture of proteinases derived from pineapple stem, which is sold as a nutritional supplement to “promote digestive health” and as an anti-inflammatory medication in some developed countries (Hale et al., 2005a and 2005b; Wen et al., 2006). Bromelain is clinically used from the pineapple extract and the natural product. Literatures have reported anti- inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities (Sercor et al., 2005). The bromelian, according to Sigma (2006), had a price about U$ 1,075.40 per kilogram of purifiedmaterial, at 30% of protein contents. Thus, the recovery these enzymes from pineapple stem will add value to this agricultural product. The liquid-liquid extraction process consists of transferring a substance from a liquid mixture to another immiscible (or partially miscible) liquid phase by putting them in contact. This process is widely used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries, such as in the recovery of antibiotics or organic acids from fermentation broths. Nevertheless, the application in

the purification of proteins is still limited mainly due to the possibility of protein denaturation if in contact with organic solvents, yielding a useless product (Aires-Barros et al., 1994; Albertsson, 1986; Matiasson and Kaul, 1986; Zaslasvsky, 1995).So, this study aimed to characterize and to recover the bromelain from pineapple stem and skin, by a PEG 4000/ phosphate aqueous two-phase systems (ATPs) liquid-liquid extraction. Batch assays were performed aiming the enzyme extraction and recovery, using the partition coefficient as an indicator of the enzyme purification.

http://www.aidic.it/icheap10/webpapers/82FerrariFerreira.pdf

Why does Bromelain increase risk in liver disease?

Effects of stem bromelain verses fruit bromelain on liver catalase.

Effects of stem bromelain verses fruit bromelain on the protein fibrin.

Add 35 mL of cold 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 containing 2 mg/mL cysteine. Homogenize for exactly 1 minute.

Fresh pineapple stems parts were collected, washed with 0.1% hydrogen peroxide solutions, peeled off, cut into small pieces and weighed. The weighed mass was found out to be 1,700 gm. Juice was collected from the fresh pineapple stem part by homogenization, in the presence of sodium acetate buffer solution and was filtered. Five-hundred ml of filtrate were collected. Benzoic acid/sodium benzoate was added as a preservative at a concentration of 1 g. per kg of stem. The filtrate obtained was called as çcrude extracté, and used as source of çstem bromelainé.Purely ripe pineapple fruits were taken, cleaned and made into small slices. The weighed mass was 600 gm. The juice was extracted using a collected into a beaker and filtered. The filtered mass was about 300 ml and 0.6 g of sodium benzoate was added. The filtrate was called as crude extract, and used as source of cruit bromelain.Fruit bromelain was obtained from the fruit extract of the pineapple’s Perola cultivar. Pineapple pulp was triturated and filtered with nylon filter. The

filtrate contained the bromelain enzyme. Samples were frozen at -5 VC to avoid the denaturation.

The protein fibrin is an insoluble protein formed from fibrinogen during the clotting of blood. It forms a fibrous mesh that impedes the flow of blood. Bromelain is an enzyme from the stem of pineapples, which breaks down protein and fights inflammation and reduces swelling. Since bromelain reduces swelling,

http://www.ableweb.org/volumes/vol-23/16-glider.pdf