LCI (Leech Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor)
Inhibitor of TAFI (thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) — synergizes with hirudin's anticoagulant action.
Preclinical / mechanisticLast updated: 2026-05-26 · Reviewed by ASH Editorial Board
Mechanistic Evidence Box
Preclinical / mechanistic- Page type
- Compound profile
- Evidence type
- Inhibitor of TAFI (thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) — synergizes with hirudin's anticoagulant action.
- Evidence level
- In vitro
- Drug vs leech
- Purified natural compound
- Safety domains
- Bleeding
Clinical translation limit
LCI's in vitro TAFI inhibition does not establish clinical efficacy. No FDA-approved derivative exists. Mechanism is preclinical/biochemical only.
Molecular Profile
- Category
- Proteinase Inhibitor
- Evidence tier
- Preclinical
- Molecular weight
- 7,300 Da
- Source species
- Hirudo medicinalis
- Discovered
- 1998 · Reverter et al.
- PDB structures
- 1ZLH
Biological Targets
- → TAFI (carboxypeptidase B)
Key Citations
- Reverter D, Vendrell J, Canals F, Horstmann J, Aviles FX, Fritz H, Sommerhoff CP (1998), J Biol Chem · PMID 9830043
- Reverter D, Fernandez-Catalan C, Baumgartner R, Pfander R, Huber R, Bode W, Vendrell J, Holak TA, Aviles FX (2000), Nat Struct Biol · PMID 10742178
External Resources
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