Hirudins of the Asian medicinal leech, Hirudinaria manillensis: same same, but different
Research article published in Parasitology research (2019)
Resumen
Blood coagulation in vertebrates is a complex mechanism that involves the precisely coordinated and regulated action of a cascade of factors in order to prevent excessive blood loss upon wounding. Any blood sucking ectoparasite, however, has to circumvent this mechanism to ensure the uptake of an adequate blood meal. Inhibitors of blood coagulation in the saliva are hence widespread among these animals. Thrombin as a key factor of blood coagulation is a prominent target of such inhibitors, and hirudin is probably the best known among the thrombin inhibitors. Hirudin was originally described in the genus Hirudo, but occurs in other leech genera like Hirudinaria and Macrobdella as well. Besides several isoforms of hirudin, a new class of putative leech saliva components, the hirudin-like factors (HLFs), was identified in both genera Hirudo and Hirudinaria. Here, we describe the expression, purification, and functional characterization of three HLFs (HLF5, 6, and 8, respectively) and two additional hirudins (HM3 and HM4) of Hirudinaria manillensis. While HLF6 lacked any inhibitory activity on thrombin, HLF5 as well as HLF8 clearly exhibited anticoagulatory properties. The inhibitory activity of HLF5 and HLF8, however, was much lower compared with both HM3 and HM4 of Hirudinaria manillensis as well as the hirudin variants 1 (HV1) and 2 (HV2) of Hirudo medicinalis. Neither an inhibition of trypsin nor a platelet aggregation was caused by HLF8. Our data indicates the presence of two classes (rather than isoforms) of hirudins in Hirudinaria manillensis with markedly different inhibitory activity on human thrombin.
Resumen tomado de PubMed (NCBI) para el registro citado, en el idioma original. La versión de referencia es la de la publicación original.
El resumen se deja sin traducir para conservar la redacción original de los autores.
Síntesis
Three Hirudinaria manillensis hirudin-like factors (HLF5, HLF6, HLF8) and hirudins HM3 and HM4 were characterized: HLF6 lacked thrombin-inhibitory activity, while HLF5 and HLF8 inhibited thrombin much more weakly than HM3, HM4 and Hirudo medicinalis hirudins, indicating two hirudin classes.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio describió la expresión, purificación y caracterización funcional de tres factores tipo hirudin (HLF5, HLF6, HLF8) y dos hirudinas (HM3, HM4) de la sanguijuela medicinal asiática Hirudinaria manillensis, midiendo su actividad inhibidora de la trombina y comparándolas con las variantes de hirudin HV1 y HV2 de Hirudo medicinalis. Los hallazgos son relevantes para la hirudoterapia porque revelan dos clases distintas de hirudinas en H. manillensis con potencias notablemente diferentes, e identifican los HLF como componentes salivales con una actividad anticoagulante menor pero demostrable, profundizando la comprensión del repertorio anticoagulante en un género de sanguijuela medicinal. El estudio se limita a la caracterización bioquímica in vitro de factores aislados y no evalúa la saliva completa, la aplicación de sanguijuelas vivas ni los resultados clínicos.
Compuestos relacionados del registro de la ASH
Moléculas de la sanguijuela y fármacos derivados de la hirudina relacionados con el tema de este artículo, cada uno con un perfil completo en el registro de compuestos de la ASH:
Citación
Hirudins of the Asian medicinal leech, Hirudinaria manillensis: same same, but different.
Lukas P et al. · Parasitology research, 2019
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: 18 de marzo de 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026