Abstract
Bromelain is a general name for a family of sulfhydryl-containing proteolytic enzymes obtained from Ananas comosus, the pineapple plant. Although bromelain’s primary constituent is a sulfhydryl proteolytic fraction, it also contains escharase (a non-proteolytic component in bromelain thought to be important in the action of topical bromelain), peroxidase, acid phosphatase, several protease inhibitors, and organically-bound calcium.1 The beneficial effects of bromelain are due to multiple constituents apart from its proteolytic fraction. A variety of designations have been used to indicate the activity of bromelain, with published research varying in the designation utilized. Rorer units (r.u.), gelatin dissolving units (g.d.u.), and milk clotting units (m.c.u.) are the most commonly used measures of activity. One gram of bromelain standardized to 2,000 m.c.u is approximately equal to 1 gram with 1,200 g.d.u. activity or 8 grams with 100,000 r.u. activity.