Hirudins and fenestrins of the African medicinal leech Asiaticobdella fenestrata.

ABSTRACT: African hematophagous leeches are largely underinvestigated both in terms of their biodiversity and the characterization of the repertoire of bioactive components of their salivary gland secretions. Asiaticobdella (formerly Aliolimnatis) fenestrata Moore, 1939, also referred to as the African medicinal leech, is hence a promising candidate for the identification and functional characterization of putative anticoagulants that may serve as inspirations for the development of new or the enhancement of existing drugs for medical purposes. A. fenestrata inhabits flooded plains of southern African regions and mainly feeds on mammals like black lechwe (Kobus leche Gray, 1850). Whereas several anticoagulants, including two putative hirudins of A. fenestrata, have already been identified in previou

SUBMITTER: Schulz L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12592272 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature