Papain: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Other name(s)
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Enzymes
Indications
Rating methodology
EFSA approval.
Skin healing ✪✪✪✪✪
In several clinical trials and a case report, papain has been used to treat wounds, including pediatric burns. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, papain, as an enzyme, may contribute to wound debridement.
Posologie
Oral
100 mg
14 - days
Managing a traumatic wound in a geriatric patient
Nontraditional wound care: A review of the evidence for the use of sugar, papaya/papain, and fatty acids
[Wound treatment: scientific production analysis published in the Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem from 1970-2003]
[Papain phonophoresis in the treatment of suppurative wounds and inflammatory processes]
The treatment of pediatric burns using topical papaya
Nontraditional wound care: A review of the evidence for the use of sugar, papaya/papain, and fatty acids
Pharyngitis ✪✪✪✪✪
Clinical research shows that taking papain orally, in combination with other agents, can relieve pharynx inflammation and swelling more quickly than placebo.
Posologie
Oral
2 mg
Digestive disorders ✪✪✪✪✪
Papain plays a key role in improving digestion, especially in older people. This population often faces reduced chewing capacity, decreased digestive function, and reduced nutrient absorption, contributing to malnutrition and increased risk of chronic diseases. Meat, rich in essential amino acids and minerals, is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and combating age-related anabolic resistance. Papain, a proteolytic enzyme extracted from papaya latex, plays a key role in improving digestion, particularly in the elderly. This population often faces reduced chewing capacity due to tooth loss, decreased digestive function, and reduced nutrient absorption, contributing to malnutrition and increased risk of chronic diseases such as sarcopenia and dementia. During digestion, papain facilitates the breakdown of proteins, a crucial process for seniors whose protein digestion is often compromised. Due to tooth loss and decreased saliva secretion, consuming meat, an important protein source, becomes difficult. Meat, rich in essential amino acids and minerals, is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and combating age-related anabolic resistance. Papain, with its broad spectrum of action, effectively breaks down protein bonds, including in hard-to-digest connective tissues like collagen. It works by hydrolyzing bonds between amino acids, thereby facilitating the digestion of meat proteins. Its ability to operate across a wide pH range and at relatively high temperatures makes it particularly suitable for improving food digestibility.
Posologie
Oral
Properties
Digestive effect
Papain is an enzyme that allows for the effective breakdown of complex proteins present in food, thus reducing the load on the digestive system. Papain contributes to better nutrient assimilation and can help alleviate digestive discomforts related to ineffective protein digestion.
Usages associés
Dermatological effect
Papain plays an important role in wound treatment, thanks to its specific enzymatic properties. It works by breaking down damaged tissues, facilitating the skin's natural healing process. Papain's ability to remove dead or infected tissues without damaging surrounding healthy tissues is particularly beneficial in the treatment of infected burns. By applying papain topically, it is possible to prevent infection while promoting the formation of a new layer of healthy skin, a process known as granulation.
Usages associés
Immunomodulator
Papaya extract, notably due to the presence of papain, has demonstrated interesting immunomodulatory effects. Microarray studies have revealed that adding papaya extract enhances the expression of 23 immunomodulatory genes, including CCL2, CCL7, CCL8, and SERPINB2. These genes play a role in modulating the immune system, suggesting that papaya contains active components capable of inhibiting the development of tumor cells. This activity could contribute to strengthening the body's immune defenses against certain types of cancer, such as lung cancer.
Safety dosage
Adult: 2 mg - 1200 mg
Papain has been used in combination with other proteolytic enzymes at a dose of up to 1200 mg per day for up to 9 weeks.
Precautions
Breastfeeding woman: avoid
Insufficient data.
Contraindications
Pregnant woman: forbidden
There is a risk that papain may be teratogenic.
