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How Enzymes Work to Regulate Inflammation

How Protease Enzymes Support the Natural Inflammatory & Recovery Process in Horses

Inflammation isn’t necessarily the enemy. In fact, it’s an important part of the body’s natural response to stress, overuse and injury.

The challenge comes when the inflammatory process lingers and excess fibrin and inflammatory proteins remain around stressed tissue. This can affect normal circulation, comfort and the body’s ability to move efficiently through the recovery process.

That’s why PJS takes a different approach.

Rather than focusing only on supplying nutrients to joints and connective tissue, PJS All-In-One Leg Solution begins with Reduction — supporting the body’s natural inflammatory process and helping create a better environment for recovery.

At the center of that Reduction phase is Arto-Velox™, our proprietary blend of three protease enzymes:

Serrapeptase • Bromelain • Papain

Each enzyme has a different role. Together, they provide a broader approach to supporting the inflammatory and recovery processes throughout the equine leg.

What Are Protease Enzymes?

Protease enzymes are enzymes that break down proteins.

Within Arto-Velox™, these enzymes are used for their proteolytic activity — helping the body break down excess fibrin, inflammatory proteins and damaged or unwanted proteins associated with the inflammatory and recovery process.

But the three enzymes in Arto-Velox™ don't all do exactly the same thing.

Serrapeptase has a strong fibrin focus. Bromelain focuses more heavily on inflammatory mediators, fluid balance and soft-tissue support. Papain provides broad-spectrum protein breakdown.

That combination is intentional.

Why Fibrin Matters

Fibrin is a protein involved in the body’s normal response to injury.

When tissue is damaged, fibrin helps form the temporary framework involved in the body's repair process. In that sense, fibrin has an important job.

The concern is excess fibrin.

When excess fibrin remains around stressed or recovering tissue, it can become part of the environment surrounding that tissue. Supporting the normal breakdown and clearance of excess fibrin is one of the primary reasons Serrapeptase plays such an important role in Arto-Velox™.

Think of fibrin somewhat like temporary scaffolding around a construction site.

You need the scaffolding while the work is being done. But once it has served its purpose, you don't want unnecessary material remaining in the way.

This brings us to the first enzyme in Arto-Velox™.

Serrapeptase: The Fibrin Focus

Serrapeptase (Serratia E-15 protease) provides powerful fibrinolytic and proteolytic activity.

Its primary role within Arto-Velox™ is helping support the breakdown of excess fibrin and non-living inflammatory proteins.

By helping clear these proteins, Serrapeptase supports:

Normal localized circulation
Clearance of protein debris
Soft-tissue and joint comfort
The body's natural recovery process

This is why we consider Serrapeptase the primary “fibrin focus” within Arto-Velox™.

Bromelain: Inflammatory Mediator & Soft-Tissue Support

Bromelain (Ananas comosus) is a proteolytic enzyme derived from the pineapple plant.

While Serrapeptase places greater emphasis on fibrin, Bromelain brings another component to the Arto-Velox™ blend by supporting the body's natural inflammatory mediator response, fluid balance and soft-tissue comfort.

Bromelain helps support:

A healthy inflammatory response
Soft-tissue comfort
Normal fluid balance
Healthy circulation
Delivery of oxygen and nutrients to recovering tissues

This complementary activity is important because the environment surrounding stressed tissue involves more than fibrin alone.

Papain: Broad Protein Cleanup

Papain (Papainum Crudum) is a proteolytic enzyme derived from papaya.

Papain brings broad-spectrum proteolytic activity to the Arto-Velox™ blend, helping break down damaged or unwanted proteins.

Within the PJS Reduction phase, Papain helps support:

Broad protein breakdown
Normal tissue renewal
Nutrient circulation
Soft-tissue and joint health
The body's natural recovery process

Where Serrapeptase has a more targeted fibrin role and Bromelain contributes inflammatory mediator and fluid support, Papain helps round out the blend with broader protein-cleanup activity.

Why All Three?

This is where Arto-Velox™ becomes especially important to the PJS formula.

No single enzyme performs every role.

Each of the three enzymes contributes something different:

Serrapeptase → Fibrin Focus
Helps target excess fibrin and non-living inflammatory proteins.

Bromelain → Fluid & Inflammatory Mediator Focus
Supports the body's natural inflammatory response, fluid balance, circulation and soft-tissue comfort.

Papain → Broad Protein Cleanup
Provides broad proteolytic activity to help break down damaged or unwanted proteins and support normal tissue renewal.

Together, they form the Arto-Velox™ proprietary protease enzyme blend.

Rather than relying on one enzyme to perform every function, Arto-Velox™ combines complementary proteolytic activities to provide broader support during the Reduction phase of PJS.

Reduction Is Only Half of the PJS Approach

Understanding Arto-Velox™ also helps explain why PJS is different from a traditional joint supplement.

The PJS approach has two distinct but complementary parts:

PHASE 1: REDUCTION

Arto-Velox™ supports the body’s natural inflammatory process, excess fibrin breakdown, protein cleanup and normal circulation.

PHASE 2: RECOVERY

PJS then provides targeted nutritional support for the structures that make up the entire leg.

That includes:

Glucosamine + Chondroitin + Hyaluronic Acid
Support joints, cartilage, lubrication and comfortable movement.

Hydrolyzed Collagen + Vitamin C
Provide nutritional support for tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.

Calcium + Phosphorus + Magnesium + Manganese
Support normal bone, muscle and hoof health.

Reduction → Recovery

The idea is simple:

Support the environment surrounding recovery — while also supplying the nutritional building blocks needed to support the structures of the leg.

That is the foundation of the PJS All-In-One Leg Solution.

More Than Joint Support

A horse's leg isn't made up of a joint operating by itself.

Healthy movement depends on an interconnected system of joints, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, bone, muscle and hoof working together.

And when one area is under stress, the horse may compensate in ways that place additional demands on other structures.

That's why PJS was designed to look beyond one structure and provide whole-leg support.

Whether you're supporting a horse experiencing joint stiffness, stifle concerns, tendon or ligament stress, chronic soreness, swelling, recovery from an old injury, or the demands of training and competition, the PJS approach remains the same:

Reduction + Recovery. Whole-Leg Support.

Want to Learn More About the Science?

If you'd like to dig deeper into Arto-Velox™, we've created additional educational resources explaining the individual enzymes, the Reduction phase and how the complete PJS formula works.

[WATCH THE ARTO-VELOX™ VIDEO →]

[EXPLORE THE ARTO-VELOX™ SCIENCE →]