Most medicines and pharmaceuticals are derived from organisms occurring in our environment. Organisms comprise of diverse groups of animals, plants and sing-cell forms of life such as bacteria and fungi. Historically, drugs were derived from specific plants and herbs depending on the condition being treated (Gopal, Vijayakumaran, Venkatesan & Kathiroli, 2008). Depending on the mechanism used to treat and manage disease and conditions, various medicines have been derived from diverse sources in order to acquire a specific chemical substance in context. In this script, I shall explore and describe the use of leeches in medical therapy.
Leeches
Leeches are parasitic worms with body segments, therefore, providing them with an adaptation feature of contracting and lengthening. They are hermaphrodite organisms with freshwater and marine environments as their natural habitat. They feed by attaching their suckers (each has a single sucker) on a host and consuming blood. To ensure that blood does not clot at the point of attachment, they secrete an anti-clotting factor containing- peptide known as Hirudin from their salivary glands. There are various species of leeches depending on the environment i.e. either terrestrial, marine or freshwater habitats.
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Taxonomy
Kingdom -Animalia
Phylum -Annelida
Class -Clitellata
Order- Arhynchobdellida
Sub-class -Hirudinea
Genus -Hirudo
Species : major species used for medicinal purposes are medicinalis and hematophagous
Below is a photograph of Hirudo medicinalis sucking blood from a host
Uses in Medicine (Hirudotherapy)
Leeches have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Traditionally, they were used to harvest blood from individuals/patients. However, with advanced research and technology, they are being used in modern medicine for treatment of joint conditions such as osteoarthritis, blood vessel (vein) diseases, surgery and blood-clotting related conditions (Mamelak, Jackson, Nizamani, Arnon, Liegeois, Redett & Byrne, 2010). Leech therapy is also being used for reconstructive surgeries and in other surgeries. In most clinical therapies, leeches are attached to the patient's skin and closely monitored to ensure effectiveness in relation to the intended medical purpose. According to Singh (2010), Hirudin has also been integrated into various pharmaceutical compounds through recombinant DNA.
References
Gopal, R., Vijayakumaran, M., Venkatesan, R., & Kathiroli, S. (2008). Marine organisms in Indian medicine and their future prospects.
Mamelak, A. J., Jackson, A., Nizamani, R., Arnon, O., Liegeois, N. J., Redett, R. J., & Byrne, P. J. (2010). Leech therapy in cutaneous surgery and disease. Journal of drugs in dermatology: JDD , 9 (3), 252-257.
Singh, A. P. (2010). Medicinal leech therapy ( hirudotherapy ): a brief overview. Complementary therapies in clinical practice , 16 (4), 213-215.
