556743-18-1

Basic information

• Product Name: Lumbrokinase
• Synonyms: Lumbrokinase;lumbrokinase capsules;LuMbokinase capsules;GenBank AAP92795 (Translated from: GenBank AY327442);Lumbrukinase;Vermis
• CAS NO: 556743-18-1
• Molecular Formula: C12H15N3O2S
• Mol File: 556743-18-1.mol
• Article Data: 0

Chemical Properties

• Appearance: /
• CAS DataBase Reference: Lumbrokinase(CAS DataBase Reference)
• NIST Chemistry Reference: Lumbrokinase(556743-18-1)
• EPA Substance Registry System: Lumbrokinase(556743-18-1)

Safety Data

• Hazardous Substances Data: 556743-18-1(Hazardous Substances Data)

Usage

Description

Lumbrokinase, also known as earthworm powder enzymes (EPE) or earthworm fibrinolytic enzymes (e-PPA), is a complex enzyme preparation extracted from earthworms. It has been used in traditional Eastern medicine for thousands of years in countries such as China, Japan, and Korea to invigorate blood, resolve stasis, and unblock the body's meridians and channels. Dr. Hisashi Mihara successfully extracted these powerful fibrin-dissolving enzymes from earthworms in 1983, and since then, extensive research has been conducted on their properties and applications.

Uses

Used in Pharmaceutical Industry:
Lumbrokinase is used as a therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke patients. It is effective in lowering blood viscosity, preventing re-perfusion damage, and reducing neural deficits. Additionally, it improves the efficacy of aspirin as a secondary prevention of stroke.
Used in Cardiology:
Lumbrokinase is used as a treatment for coronary arterial diseases, including patients with unstable angina. It helps in lowering whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, fibrinogen, and ESR, minimizing angina attack frequency, reducing the need for nitroglycerine, and improving ST segment elevation on the EKG.
Used in Oncology:
Lumbrokinase is being investigated as a potential anti-tumor and anti-metastatic agent. In vitro and clinical evidence suggests the involvement of hyper-coagulation in stimulating tumor growth and metastasis, and the potential use of anti-coagulants in limiting cancer growth and metastasis. Although still in the early research stage, lumbrokinase has shown to inhibit stomach cancer cell growth and liver cancer cell metastasis in vitro.
Other potential applications of lumbrokinase include deep venous thrombosis, essential hypertension, and vascular dementia.

Mechanisms of lumbrokinase

Lumbrokinase is a multiple enzyme preparation; naturally it also affects the coagulation system in multiple ways. Since the discovery of lumbrokinase by Dr. Mihara in 1983, various researchers have isolated the enzyme by different methods and also studied its physiological properties in animal models. All of the results pointed towards the fact that lumbrokinase possesses both direct and indirect fibrinolytic effects1-2. It can activate the plasminogen system and also can achieve direct fibrinolysis independent of the plasminogen system. In 2004, Zhang el al. discovered that lumbrokinase also inhibit PAI-1 activity and enhances t-PA activity3. In addition to being a strong fibrinolytic agent, lumbrokinase may indirectly achieve anticoagulation by inhibiting platelet functions.