Soybean Saponins. IV. The Effect of Proteins on the Inhibitory Activity of Soybean Saponins on Certain Enzymes

SUMMARY Soybean saponins were found to inhibit, to a certain extent, cholinesterase and the proteolytic activity of chymotrypsin, trypsin, papain, and Tribolium castaneum larval midgut enzyme solution. It has been shown that this nonspecific inhibition results from a protein (i.e., enzyme) saponin interaction, since pre‐incubation of the saponin with various proteins prior to enzyme‐substrate interaction could abolish the inhibitory effect of the saponins.