Isolation and characterization of antistasin. An inhibitor of metastasis and coagulation
Research article published in Journal of biological chemistry (1987)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to purify and characterize the agent responsible for the antimetastatic activity of an extract of the salivary glands (SGE) of the Mexican leech Haementeria officinalis. When administered intravenously in mice on the same day as the intravenous inoculation of T241 sarcoma cells, SGE markedly reduces the number and size of lung tumor colonies. In designing a purification protocol for the antimetastatic agent, we postulated that the antimetastatic agent would also display anticoagulant activity. Thus, we discovered that heparin affinity chromatography followed by anion-exchange chromatography results in a fraction highly enriched in both potent anticoagulant activity and potent antimetastatic activity. Approximately, 200-300 micrograms of purified protein is isolated from 150 mg of SGE. As little as 15 micrograms of this material inhibits tumor cell metastasis to the same extent as 1.0 mg of the unfractionated SGE. When analyzed on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels the active fraction consists mainly of one polypeptide band having an apparent molecular weight of approximately 17,000 under either reducing or nonreducing conditions. The protein has a pI of approximately 9.5 and a molecular weight of approximately 17,000 under nondenaturing conditions. A specific antiserum prepared against the 17,000-dalton protein indicated that this protein is the major anticoagulant and antimetastatic agent of leech salivary gland extract. We have termed this anticoagulant, antimetastatic agent "antistasin." We hypothesize that antistatin inhibits coagulation via factor Xa, and not thrombin, since factor Xa, but not thrombin, is rapidly inactivated upon addition of antistasin. The mechanism of antistasin's antimetastatic activity is currently under investigation.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Isolation and characterization of antistasin. An inhibitor of metastasis and coagulation.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio purificó el agente antimetastásico a partir de extractos de glándulas salivales de la sanguijuela mexicana Haementeria officinalis, hallando que una proteína de ~17.000 Da (pI ~9,5) explica tanto la actividad anticoagulante como la antimetastásica del extracto. La administración intravenosa de esta proteína en ratones redujo las colonias tumorales pulmonares derivadas de células de sarcoma T241, e inactivó el factor Xa pero no la trombina; los autores la denominaron «antistasin». Para el dominio de la ASH, es relevante porque caracteriza una molécula del secretoma derivada de sanguijuela con propiedades duales anticoagulantes y antimetastásicas. ADVERTENCIA: Se trata de un estudio preclínico/bioquímico con datos tumorales en animales y ensayos de coagulación in vitro; el resumen parece contener una inconsistencia tipográfica («antistatin» frente a «antistasin»), y el trabajo se refiere a una proteína purificada de Haementeria y no a la hirudoterapia con organismos completos.
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026