Abstract

Several pests are capable of decreasing crop production causing severe economical and social losses. Aiming to find novel molecules that could impede the digestion process of different pests, a screening of a-amylase and trypsin-like proteinase inhibitors was carried out in Prosopis juliflora, showing the presence of both in dry seeds. Furthermore, a novel trypsin inhibitor, with molecular mass of 13,292 Da, was purified showing remarkable in vitro activity against T. castaneum and C. maculatus.

Keywords: prosopis juliflora, amylase inhibitor, trypsin inhibitor, plant defense