Research Article

Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines

Volume: 10 Number: 2 March 27, 2025
TR EN

Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular disease. It can affect any part of the body and spread to other organs. Pancreatic cancer is a tough disease to diagnose and treat. It is the fourteenth most common and the seventh deadliest cancer worldwide. New technology and innovative methods, combined with a range of therapeutic agents, have led to promising new anticancer treatments. The presence of various bioactive components in the secretions of medicinal leeches has prompted a re-evaluation of these organisms as a popular method in traditional medicine. In this study, the effect of the anticancer potential of Lyophilised medicinal leech secretion on pancreatic cancer cell line (MIA PaCa-2) was investigated using XTT assay. A cell viability test was conducted to ascertain the degree of cytotoxicity following the administration of varying concentrations of medicinal leech secretion to cell lines over a period of 24, 48, and 72 hours. The percentage viability of cancer cells was determined at each concentration. The doses were adjusted using dilution procedures with ratios of 75 µg/ml, 150 µg/ml, 300 µg/ml, 600 µg/ml, and 1200 µg/ml. IC50 value was determined at 24th hour: 484.48 µg/ml; at 48th hour: 330.92 µg/ml; at 72nd hour: 542,75 µg/ml. It was observed that the effect of Hirudo verbana leech secretion on pancreatic cancer (MIA PaCa-2) cell viability was not linear. It was determined that 600 µg/ml and 1200 µg/ml extracts had cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects. These results indicate that the leech saliva extract has anti proliferative and cytotoxic effects and may have a promising role in developing new anticancer drugs.

Keywords

Anti-cancer, Hirudo verbana, Pancreatic Cancer, MIA PaCa-2, XTT

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee authorisation is not required since the secretion was obtained from a live medical leech (Hirudo verbana) which is an invertebrate animal. In addition, no living creature was harmed.

Thanks

The authors would like to thank Kübranur ÜNAL and Mustafa GÜNGÖRMÜŞ for their help in laboratory studies and support of the study. We also thank Fatma ÇORUK for checking the English of the article. We thank AYBÜ MERLAB for their support in all techniques.

References

  1. Abdualkader, A.M., Merzouk, A., Ghawi, A.M. & Alaama, M. (2011). Some biological activities of Malaysian leech saliva extract. IIUM Engineering Journal, 12(4). DOI: 10.31436/iiumej.v12i4.156
  2. Abdualkader, A.M., Ghawi, A.M., Alaama, M., Awang, M. & Merzouk, A. (2013). Leech therapeutic applications. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 75(2), 127-137.
  3. Alaama, M., Kucuk, O., Bilir, B., Merzouk, A., Ghawi, A. M., Yerer, M. B., Ahmado, M. A., Abdualkader, A. M. & Helaluddin, A. B. M. (2024). Development of Leech extract as a therapeutic agent: A chronological review. Pharmacological Research-Modern Chinese Medicine, 10, 100355. DOI: 10.1016/j.prmcm.2023.100355
  4. Ammar, A.E., Hassona, M.H., Meckling, G.R., Chan, L.G., Chin, M.Y., Abdualkader, A., Alaama, M., Merzouk, A., Helaluddin, A., Ghawi, A., Kucuk, O. & Guns, E.S. (2015). Assessment of the antitumor activity of leech (huridinaria manillensis) saliva extract in prostate cancer. Cancer Research, 75(15_Supplement), 5130- 5130. DOI:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5130
  5. Ammar, A., Guns, E., Kucuk, O., Abdualkader, A., Alaama, M., Uddin, A.H., ... & Hassona, M. (2017). Mechanism of anticancer activity of BPS- 001 (lyophilized leech saliva extract). Cancer Research, 77 (13_Supplement), 107-107. DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-107
  6. Ayhan, H. & Mollahaliloğlu, S. (2018). Tıbbi sülük tedavisi: Hirudoterapi. Ankara Medical Journal, 18(1), 141-148. DOI: 10.17098/amj.409057
  7. Ayhan, H., Özyurt Koçakoğlu, N. & Candan, S. (2021). Functional morphology of the suckers and teeth of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 (Annelida; Clitellata; Hirudinida): A scanning electron microscope study. Microscopy Research and Technique, 84(12), 2930-2935. DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23851
  8. Ayhan, H., Sevin, S., Karaaslan, S. & Ayaz, F. (2025). Immunomodulatory effects of medicinal leech saliva extract on in vitro activated macrophages. Immunologic Research, 73(1), 1-8. DOI: 10.1007/s12026-024-09575-5
  9. Aysin, F., Özek, N.Ş., Acet, N. & Koc, K. (2024). The Anti-Proliferative Effects of Ficus carica Latex on Cancer and Normal Cells. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 9(2), 145- 151. DOI: 10.35229/jaes.1412816
  10. Baskova, I.P., Kostrjukova, E.S., Vlasova, M.A., Kharitonova, O.V., Levitskiy, S.A., Zavalova, L.L., Moshkovskii, S.A. & Lazarev, V.N. (2008). Proteins and peptides of the salivary gland secretion of medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana, H. medicinalis, and H. orientalis. Biochemistry (Moscow), 73, 315-320. DOI: 10.1134/S0006297908030127
APA
Özdemir, S., & Ayhan, H. (2025). Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 10(2), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1619391
AMA
1.Özdemir S, Ayhan H. Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines. JAES. 2025;10(2):167-173. doi:10.35229/jaes.1619391
Chicago
Özdemir, Serkan, and Hüseyin Ayhan. 2025. “Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo Verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines”. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 10 (2): 167-73. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1619391.
EndNote
Özdemir S, Ayhan H (March 1, 2025) Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 10 2 167–173.
IEEE
[1]S. Özdemir and H. Ayhan, “Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines”, JAES, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 167–173, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.35229/jaes.1619391.
ISNAD
Özdemir, Serkan - Ayhan, Hüseyin. “Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo Verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines”. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences 10/2 (March 1, 2025): 167-173. https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1619391.
JAMA
1.Özdemir S, Ayhan H. Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines. JAES. 2025;10:167–173.
MLA
Özdemir, Serkan, and Hüseyin Ayhan. “Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo Verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines”. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, vol. 10, no. 2, Mar. 2025, pp. 167-73, doi:10.35229/jaes.1619391.
Vancouver
1.Serkan Özdemir, Hüseyin Ayhan. Anticancer Potential of Lyophilised Medicinal Leech (Hirudo verbana) of Saliva Extract Against Pancreatic Cancer (MIA PaCa-2) Cell Lines. JAES. 2025 Mar. 1;10(2):167-73. doi:10.35229/jaes.1619391