Leech; a Threat, an Intervention or a Pharmacy, a Review.

Document Type : Original Article

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Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University

Abstract

Leeches have a complex relationship with the human race. They act as vampire attackers that can induce various complications and might be life-threatening in some cases (especially in orificial hirudiniasis). On the other hand, there is a long history of seeking medicinal uses for leech bites (leech-therapy) since 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. This therapy is resurging in the last few decades aided this time by ongoing scientific investigations and case reports. What surpass expectations are the potentials of the unique chemical substrates found in leech saliva, like hirudin, which has propelled modern research and inspired the development of new therapeutic generations. Still, the understanding of leech biology and the extracted chemical substrates is in its beginnings and future research can reveal various therapeutic candidates. Thus, this review represents a trial to explore this multifaceted leech-man relationship by discussing three main aspects; therapeutics discovery, parasitism and leech therapy.

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