Caspases are enzymes which play a key role in programmed cell death – apoptosis. Dysregulation of this process results in a series of disorders in which apoptosis is involved in pathogenesis. Diseases could be divided into two groups – diseases with pathological inhibition of apoptosis (cancer, some autoimmune disorders) and diseases with pathological induction of apoptosis (neurodegenerative disorders, AIDS). The paper lists the most significant activators and inhibitors of caspases as they control apoptosis and hence they are widely studied nowadays. The effects of stobadine, theophylline and adenine derivatives on the activity of caspase 1 was investigated with the use of spectrophotometry. The compounds under study showed an inhibitory effect on the enzyme tested; in one case the inhibitory effect exceeded 80%.

        Key words: caspases – apoptosis – derivatives of stobadine, theophylline, adenine