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VOL. 9, ISSUE 11 (2024)
Unlocking the pharmacological potential of earthworms: Proteins, enzymes, and immunoprotective agents
Authors
Ramasamy PK
Abstract
For millennia, people have understood that earthworms had medicinal
benefits. The history of traditional Southeast Asian medicine (China, Japan,
Vietnam) makes this clear. Earthworms provide proteins, peptides, enzymes, and
other physiologically active materials. As a result, a variety of ailments have
been treated using extracts made from earthworm tissue. Similar to other
intricate invertebrates, earthworms have many leukocyte subtypes that produce
and release a range of chemicals that are immunoprotective. Phagocytosis,
encapsulation, agglutination, opsonization, clotting, and lysis of foreign
substances are all processes carried out by the immune-protective system. The
two main leukocytes, small and big coelomocytes, mediate the lytic responses
against several targets. Over the last ten years, scientists have identified
and investigated many of the lytic, immune-stimulating, and clot-dissolving
chemicals found in earthworms in lab and clinical settings. Scientists have
focused their research on chemicals that dissolve clots. Researchers have
isolated and examined fibrinolytic enzymes from various earthworm species,
including Lumbricus rubellas and Eisenia fetida. These enzymes
are considered to be strong and harmless. Clinical trials have validated its
preventative and therapeutic benefits for thrombosis-related diseases. However,
a number of investigations have shown that certain macromolecules found in
earthworm extracts have a range of properties, including anticancer,
antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Several of these
activities include using an earthworm preparation for wound healing.
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Pages:185-193
How to cite this article:
Ramasamy PK "Unlocking the pharmacological potential of earthworms: Proteins, enzymes, and immunoprotective agents". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 9, Issue 11, 2024, Pages 185-193
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