Pharmacology of recombinant hirudin

Hirudin is the anticoagulative product of the salivary glands of the medical leech Hirudo medicinalis. It is characterized by a direct, bifunctional inhibition mechanism and a high, exclusive specificity and a strong ability to bind to thrombin (tight binding). Further characteristics are the organic-chemical structure of hirudin (peptide), which allows only parenteral administration; the missing metabolism in the organism; and the exclusive glomerular filtration of hirudin in kidneys as the effective elimination mechanism. Recombinant hirudin (r-hirudin) is a product of genetic engineering that is identical to the hirudin found in nature and has the same biochemical and pharmacological characteristics as natural hirudin.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

This pharmacology review describes hirudin, the salivary anticoagulant of Hirudo medicinalis, as a bifunctional tight-binding thrombin inhibitor given parenterally and eliminated by glomerular filtration; recombinant hirudin is identical to the natural molecule in biochemical and pharmacological characteristics.

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