Distribution and blood penetration of hirudin in various organs and tissues of rabbits with carotid artery injury
Pharmacokinetic study published in Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry (2025)
Abstract
Background: Hirudin is a major active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine leech. It has been proved to have good antithrombotic and anticoagulant effects. Objective: To determine the tissue distribution of hirudin and its pharmacokinetics in vivo by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Methods: A total of 21 SPF adult New Zealand rabbits were acclimatized for 1 week, and one was randomly selected as a blank control, while the remaining 18 were randomized to the control group and the model group. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, plasma, blood vessels, and colon tissues were taken by execution at 1, 3, and 6 h. The samples were assayed using the natural hirudin standard as an external standard. Results: The established UPLC-MS/MS method with good precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability of hirudin proved to be reliable. The correlation between different concentrations of natural hirudin standard and the response value was R 2 ≥ 0.9997. The results of the distribution of various tissues showed that hirudin in the two groups had the highest content in plasma and blood vessels, followed by spleen, lung, and liver tissues, and was weaker in the brain and the heart, and the content of hirudin in the control group was higher than that of the model group, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: The absorption and metabolism of hirudin in rabbits with carotid artery injury mainly acted through vascular tissues and blood, and normal rabbits mainly metabolized it through spleen, lung, and liver.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Ultrasensitive UPLC-MS/MS analytical method quantifying hirudin in rabbit organs after carotid injury. Maps tissue distribution and blood-organ penetration kinetics.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio determinó la distribución tisular y la farmacocinética de la hirudina en 21 conejos de Nueva Zelanda con lesión de la arteria carótida frente a controles normales mediante un método UPLC-MS/MS validado, analizando tejidos de corazón, hígado, bazo, pulmón, riñón, cerebro, plasma, vasos sanguíneos y colon a 1, 3 y 6 horas. En ambos grupos, el contenido de hirudina fue mayor en plasma y vasos sanguíneos, seguido de bazo, pulmón e hígado, con una presencia menor en cerebro y corazón; el grupo control mostró un contenido de hirudina significativamente mayor que el grupo modelo, y los autores concluyeron que la hirudina en conejos con lesión de la arteria carótida actúa principalmente a través de los tejidos vasculares y la sangre. Esto es directamente relevante para la ASH, ya que mapea la biodistribución de la hirudina in vivo, proporcionando datos farmacocinéticos que informan la comprensión de las propiedades de orientación tisular de la hirudina. La salvedad es que se trata de un estudio en animales en un modelo específico de lesión de la arteria carótida, y el perfil farmacocinético puede diferir del observado en humanos sometidos a hirudoterapia.
Citación
Distribution and blood penetration of hirudin in various organs and tissues of rabbits with carotid artery injury.
Feng Y et al. · Journal of analytical methods in chemistry, 2025
Contexto clínico relacionado
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026