Abstract: This invention relates to a cysteine protease inhibitor comprising one or more of lactoferrin, a partial peptide of lactoferrin, and transferrin, as an active ingredient. The cysteine protease inhibitor of the present invention can be used for preventive or therapeutic drug for osteoporosis, malignant hypercalcemia etc. and used for food, drink, feed and the like.

Abstract: This invention relates to a cysteine protease inhibitor comprising casein which is a protein derived from milk, a partial peptide of casein, and/or hydrolysate of casein as an active ingredient. The cysteine protease inhibitor of the present invention can be used as preventive or therapeutic drug for osteoporosis, malignant hypercalcemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, periodontitis or bacterial and viral infectious diseases, and food, drink, feed and the like.

Abstract: The invention relates an epoxysuccinamide derivative represented by the general formula (1) ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different from each other and independently represent H or an aromatic hydrocarbon group or aralkyl group which may be substituted, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may form a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring together with the adjacent nitrogen atoms, R.sup.3 is H or an acyl group, R.sup.4 is H or an aralkyl group, and R.sup.5 is an aromatic hydrocarbon group or aralkyl group which may be substituted, or R.sup.5 may form an amino acid residue, which may be protected, together with the adjacent nitrogen atom, or a salt thereof, and a medicine comprising the derivative as an active ingredient; and this compound has an inhibiting activity against cathepsin, and particularly, specifically inhibits cathepsin L and is hence useful for prevention and treatment of osteopathy such as osteoporosis.

Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions containing a 57 amino acid protease inhibitor and uses for those compositions are taught. The protease inhibitor is referred to as A4i which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. In addition to the A4i protease, other analogs are taught as are pharmaceutical compositions containing such analogs and their uses in treating a variety of abnormalities associated with Kunitz-type basic protease inhibitors. For example, it has been found that pharmaceutical compositions containing A4i protease and analogs thereof inhibit plasmin and tryptase, and also inhibit pancreatic trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, tissue kallikrein and serum kallikrein. In that certain diseases are associated with a general release of proteases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase into the circulatory system pharmaceutical compositions containing A4i and analogs thereof can be used in the management of such diseases.

Abstract: A peptide having an amino acid sequence of the following formula ##STR1## is provided as an inhibitor of trypsin and trypsin-like serine proteases.

Abstract: This invention is directed to novel peptide derivatives. Said peptide derivatives are useful as a substrate for the activity assay of enzymes of the group EC 3. 4. 22, for example, cathepsin L, cathepsin B and cathepsin H. Said peptide derivatives which contain L-methionine radical are prepared according to the methods conventional in peptide chemistry. As typical examples are mentioned D-leucyl-L-tyrosyl-L-methionine-.beta.-naphthylamide formate, .beta.-alanyl-L-tyrosyl-L-methionine-.beta.-naphthylamide formate and succinyl-L-tyrosyl-L-methionine-p-nitroanilide.