Salivary gland extracts from the deerfly contain a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 8415671.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 47520.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Salivary gland extracts of the deerfly contain a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation, which assists the insect in obtaining a blood meal. The extract prevents platelet aggregation induced by ADP, thrombin, and collagen and inhibits fibrinogen binding to the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor on platelets. The active component in deerfly salivary gland extract appears to be a protein that is comparatively more potent than the disintegrins present in viper venoms. Isolation and characterization of this protein may provide different directions in therapeutics and studies of normal platelet physiology.
Medical subject headings
- Platelet Aggregation
- Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
- Salivary Glands
- Salivary Proteins and Peptides
- Tissue Extracts