Abstract
The medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis produces various types of proteinase inhibitors: bdellins (inhibitors of trypsin, plasmin, and acrosin), hirustasin (inhibitor of tissue kallikrein, trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, and granulocyte cathepsin G), tryptase inhibitor, eglins (inhibitors of alpha-chymotrypsin, subtilisin, and chymasin and the granulocyte proteinases elastase and cathepsin G), inhibitor of factor Xa, hirudin (thrombin inhibitor), inhibitor of carboxypeptidase, and inhibitor of complement component C1s. This review summarizes data on their primary and tertiary structures, action mechanisms, and biological activities.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Antithrombin III / isolation & purification
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Antithrombin III / metabolism
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Antithrombin III / pharmacology
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Carboxypeptidases / antagonists & inhibitors
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Carboxypeptidases / metabolism
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Carboxypeptidases A
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Complement Inactivator Proteins / isolation & purification
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Complement Inactivator Proteins / metabolism
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Complement Inactivator Proteins / pharmacology
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Hirudins / chemistry
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Hirudins / pharmacology
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Humans
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Invertebrate Hormones / isolation & purification*
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Invertebrate Hormones / metabolism
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Invertebrate Hormones / pharmacology
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Leeches / chemistry*
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Leeches / metabolism
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Organic Chemicals*
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Protease Inhibitors / chemistry
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Protease Inhibitors / isolation & purification*
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Protease Inhibitors / pharmacology
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Proteins
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Serine Endopeptidases / drug effects
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Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism
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Serpins / isolation & purification
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Serpins / metabolism
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Serpins / pharmacology
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Tryptases
Substances
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Complement Inactivator Proteins
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Hirudins
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Invertebrate Hormones
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Organic Chemicals
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Protease Inhibitors
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Proteins
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Serpins
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eglin proteinase inhibitors
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hirustasin
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bdellin
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Antithrombin III
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Carboxypeptidases
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Carboxypeptidases A
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Serine Endopeptidases
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Tryptases