Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Leech Therapy: A Therapeutic GEM

Sheikh Uzma Farooq, Aditya Sharma

Abstract


Leech, Genus Hirudo, and therapeutics species: Hirudo medicinalis is an amphibious worm, 10 cm in length and is usually black or brown in color. It has three jaws with about 100 tiny teeth and a posterior sucker. The leech’s salivary secretions contain many bioactive chemicals, among which the most potent is Hirudin. The therapy involves bite by the leech, followed by attachment for duration of 15 to 45 minutes. The leech sucks 5 to 15 ml of blood and detaches from the site. In many cases, it is followed by period of bleeding which needs to be monitored. The leech therapy can leave a scar at the site of the application. The beneficial therapeutic effects are anticoagulation and vasodilation. It has been used for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis, pain of osteoarthritis, also have been used as palliative therapy for Diabetic patients. It is nowadays also used for reconstructive surgeries.

Keywords


Leech, Hirudin, saratin, calin, decorsin, apyrase, destabilase, hirudin therapy, venous congestion, medical device

Full Text:

PDF

References


Whitaker IS, Rao J, Izadi D, Butler PE. Historical article: hirudomedicinalis: ancient origins of, and trends in the use of medicinal leeches throughout history. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2004; 42 (2): 133–137. doi: 10.1016/S0266-4356(03)00242-0.

Mory RN, Mindell D, Bloom DA. The leech and the physician: biology, etymology, and medical practice with Hirudinea medicinalis. World J Surg. 2000; 24 (7): 878–883. doi: 10.1007/s002680010141, PMID 10833259.

Eldor A, Orevi M, Rigbi M. The role of the leech in medical therapeutics. Blood Rev. 1996; 10 (4): 201–209. doi: 10.1016/s0268-960x(96)90000-4, PMID 9012916.

Cherniack EP. Bugs as drugs, part two: worms, leeches, scorpions, snails, ticks, centipedes, and spiders. Altern Med Rev. 2011; 16 (1): 50–58. PMID 21438646.

Grassberger M, Sherman RA, Gileva OS, Kim CMH, Mumcuoglu KY, editors. Biotherapy-history, principles and practice: a practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of disease using living organisms. London, England: Springer Science+Business Media; 2013.

Herlin N, Bertheuil F, Bekara F, Boissiere R, Sinna B. Chaput. Leech therapy in flap salvage: systematic review and practical recommendations. Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016; 62: 1–13.

Abdualkader AM, Ghawi AM, Alaama M, Awang M, Merzouk A. Leech therapeutic applications. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2013; 75 (2): 127–137. PMID 24019559.

Abdullah S, Dar LM, Rashid A, Tewari A. Hirudotherapy/leech therapy: applications and indications in surgery. Arch Clin Exp Surg. 2012; 1 (3): 172–180. doi: 10.5455/aces.20120402072447.

Das BK. An overview on hirudotherapy/leech therapy. Ind Res J PharmSci. 2014; 1: 33–45.

Hildebrandt JP, Lemke S. Small bite, large impact–saliva and salivary molecules in the medicinal leech, Hirudomedicinalis. Naturwissenschaften. 2011; 98 (12): 995–1008. doi: 10.1007/s00114- 011-0859-z, PMID 22069059.

Singh AP. Medicinal leech therapy (hirudotherapy): a brief overview. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010; 16 (4): 213–215. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.11.005, PMID 20920805.

Whitaker IS, Cheung CK, Chahal CAA, Karoo ROS, Gulati A, Foo ITH. By what mechanism do leeches help to salvage ischaemic tissues? A review. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2005; 43 (2): 155– 160. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2004.09.012, PMID 15749217.

Zaidi SM, Jameel SS, Zaman F, Jilani S, Sultana A, Khan SA. A systematic overview of the medicinal importance of sanguivorous leeches. Altern Med Rev. 2011; 16 (1): 59–65. PMID 21438647.

Clarke CEW. Medical therapeutics derived from leeches (Phy. Annelida; Cl. Hirudinea). muse. 2016; 3 (1). doi: 10.31542/j.muse.297 (Phy. Annelida; Cl. Hirudinea).


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Research & Reviews: Journal of Medical Science and Technology