A rapid method for isolation and purification of an anticoagulant from Whitmania pigra

Whitmania pigra is common in China and has been used as a traditional Chinese anticoagulant medicine for years, but its effective components are unknown to scientists. In this article we report a rapid method for isolation and purification of an anticoagulant from W. pigra for the first time. An acetone-water extract of W. pigra was subjected to anion-exchange chromatography on a Sephadex DEAE A-50 column, and gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and Sephadex LH-20 columns successively, which afforded a fraction with potent anticoagulant activity. An anticoagulant was isolated and purified from this fraction by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). It was identified as a single pure substance by RP-HPLC and sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This component was named whitmanin and its molecular weight was determined as 8608 Da by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS).

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

First isolation of 'whitmanin', an 8,608 Da anticoagulant protein purified by anion-exchange, gel-permeation, and reversed-phase HPLC from Whitmania pigra acetone-water extract.

Leech-derived molecules this paper discusses, each with a full profile in the ASH compound registry:

Explore cómo esta investigación se conecta con la práctica clínica

More peer-reviewed studies in Farmacología salival.

• Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides — Hirunipins — Kumar et al. (2025)
• 434 Salivary Proteins — Integrated Proteomics of Hirudo medicinalis — Liu et al. (2019)
• Medicinal Leech Genome Assembly — Anticoagulant Gene Catalog — Kvist et al. (2020)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Efficacy and Safety of Hirudotherapy for Improving Sperm Quality Parameters in Male Infertility: A Randomized Controlled Trial — Abtahi-Forooshani M et al. (2026)
• [Medicinal leeches and hirudotherapy] — Gödekmerdan A et al. (2011)
• PEROXIDATION OF SALIVA LIPIDS IN PATIENTS WITH POSTCOVID SYNDROME DURING HIRUDOTHERAPY — Serikbayeva S et al. (2024)
• Medicinal leech therapy in pain syndromes: a narrative review — Koeppen D, Aurich M, Rampp T (2014)
• Leech therapy in the treatment of a penile haematoma in a stallion — Nowicki A, Jaworska J, Baranski W (2021)
• Leech therapy (Hirudo medicinalis) attenuates testicular damages induced by testicular ischemia/reperfusion in an animal model — Davoodi F et al. (2021)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →