venom Kunitz-type proteins such as textilinin, BF9 and PILP
This group includes toxins isolated from snake venoms, such as textilinin, vestiginin, spermatin, mulgin, venom basic protease inhibitor IX (BF9), and protease inhibitor-like protein (PILP), among others. Pseudonaja textilis textilinin-1 is a Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor that binds to and blocks the activity of a range of serine proteases, including plasmin and trypsin. Ability of testilinin to inhibit plasmin, a protease involved in fibrinolysis, raises the possibility that it may be used as an alternative to aprotinin (Trasylol), which is a systemic antibleeding agent in surgery. Also included is the Bungarus fasciatus fraction IX (BF9), a chymotrypsin inhibitor that binds chymotrypsin but not trypsin. Protease inhibitor-like proteins PILP-1 and PILP-2 show weak binding and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and show an activity in inhibiting migration and invasion of neuroblastoma; they do not inhibit chymotrypsin or trypsin. The structures of these toxins are similar to those of Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitors such as BPTI (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor), showing an alpha/beta fold with irregular secondary structure stabilized by three disulfide bonds.