Protein profiling of the medicinal leech salivary gland secretion by proteomic analytical methods.

Protein diversity of the high molecular weight fraction (molecular mass > 500 daltons) of salivary grand secretion of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis has been demonstrated using methods of proteomic analysis. One-dimensional (1D) electrophoresis revealed the presence of more than 60 bands corresponding to molecular masses ranging from 11 to 483 kD. 2D-electrophoresis revealed more than 100 specific protein spots differing in molecular masses and pI values.

Vascular-platelet and plasma hemostasis regulators from bloodsucking animals.

Saliva of bloodsuckers (leeches, insects, ticks, vampire bats) contains various regulators of some hemostatic stages. This review summarizes information on their structural characteristics and mechanisms of action. Most bloodsuckers are shown to inhibit vascular-platelet hemostasis by blocking collagen-induced platelet adhesion/aggregation.

Fibrinogen-fibrin system regulators from bloodsuckers.

Thrombin inhibitors from bloodsucking leeches and insects that block conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin are considered. Regulatory mechanisms influencing the fibrinogen-fibrin system in leeches include fibrinogen degradation, inhibition of factor XIIIa, and lysis of fibrin clots. The review also summarizes recent data on plasminogen activator from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus and a role of fibrin as its cofactor.

Separation of monomerizing and lysozyme activities of destabilase from medicinal leech salivary gland secretion.

Destabilase, endo-epsilon-(gamma-Glu)-Lys-isopeptidase, was prepared from the salivary gland secretion of the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis). The secretion prepared by the known method of Rigbi et al. (1987) (secretion-K) lacks the destabilase-characteristic highly specific isopeptidase activity (the D-dimer-monomerizing activity) because of its degradation by proteolytic activity (the substrate of Glp-Ala-Ala-Leu-pNA) due to contamination with leech intestinal channel contents.

[Positive effect of pyavit on formation and retention of the passive avoidance conditioned reaction in rats].

In the paper are presented the results of the study of Pyavit, a complex leech preparation from, whose effects on the memory may be dependent on DNA methylation (one of the mechanisms of gene expression regulation). A positive effect of Pyavit on formation and retention of passive avoidance conditioned reaction was demonstrated in rat experiments.