Drug info - The Analgesic in Leech Oil, (the secretions of medicinal leeches)

[tayo]

Does this analgesic have any recreational value? Could the oil being sold online be extracted and SMOKED woooohooo? still doing research but wouldn't that be a good thing?

help swim find the answer here's what's in it.... what's the analgesic?1.Hirudin2.Hyaluronidase3.Pseudohirudin4.Destabilase5.Apyrase6.Bdellines7.Eglines8.Kininases9.Histamine-like substances10.Collagenase11.Leech prostanoids12.Inhibitor of kallikrein of the blood plasma13.Proteases14.Lipolytic enzymes15.Intibitor of Xa factor of the blood coagulation16.Triglyceridase17.Cholesterol esterase18.Lipase
this thread may go nowhere, but it was sparked by the anti-drug commercial that made swim buy leeches online. hirudotherapy is where it's at.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Swim was actually doing some research on medicinal leech farming just now because of that thread he made.Fascinating creatures really,wouldn't that be so ironic if there was someway a leech could swiy high?I bet the makers of that anti drug propaganda would just gape in awe.

[tayo]

yep, haha. SWIM will be collecting and acting as a lab rat by drying and smoking residue. this could take weeks of course but what if its like opium? hey thatd be a new legal epidemic. what could the fda do ban the entire earthworm family? ha. yeah. we will see.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Hope those leech experiments work!

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Oh swim is ever so hopeful that this experiment turns out well!

[Heretic.Ape.]

LOL, has anyone seen those anti-cannabis commercials in the US where the kids all put leeches on themselves because "everyone's donig it"?
This may take that to a new level.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Originally Posted by heretic.ape.

LOL, has anyone seen those anti-cannabis commercials in the US where the kids all put leeches on themselves because "everyone's donig it"?
This may take that to a new level.

This post is based on a post swim made about ridiculous anti drug propaganda that referenced that commercial in particular.http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33093

[Micklemouse]

Originally Posted by tayo

yep, haha. SWIM will be collecting and acting as a lab rat by drying and smoking residue. this could take weeks of course but what if its like opium? hey thatd be a new legal epidemic. what could the fda do ban the entire earthworm family? ha. yeah. we will see.

So SWiY is going to kill, dry & smoke leeches? I know they're only invertebrates, but that is surely home vivisection. I have a feeling this thread may disappear soon if some decent science supporting the theory that leeches could get one high doesn't appear.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Unfortunately Mickle swim doubts any of this science will appear just hopeful thinking.Though swim would be uncomfortable with it if the process involved killing the leeches.

[tayo]

No the leeches aren't killed. But they leave residue like slugs. SWIM doesnt kill things, but a leech could leave leech slime on a plate or mirror, and SWIM thinks it could be scraped up. But there is also leech oil available as a sexual enhancer, because something in their saliva/slime brings blood to the skin. SWIM would "milk" not kill leeches.

SWIM ISNT GONNA SMOKE LEECHES just their slime!

this is from an article and this is why this scientific thread should stay open


http://discovermagazine.com/2001/dec/featblood

"
Sawyer and others have isolated a dozen more active substances from Hirudo and nine other leech species. Among these is a local anesthetic that renders a leech bite painless. How it works is still not understood, and Sawyer has been unable to isolate the analgesic. "Common sense is telling me something is there. This is a potentially rich area," he says. Salzet, who recently found a morphinelike compound in Hirudo, agrees. "

Reputation Comments on this post:

SWIM ISNT GONNA SMOKE LEECHES just their slime!

[Micklemouse]

Ok, I'll play! I just couldn't bear the thought of those poor little leeches meeting an untimely end!

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

Ok, I'll play! I just couldn't bear the thought of those poor little leeches meeting an untimely end!

You big softy!

[tayo]

No, no, and recently SWIM just read they're that Hirudo Medicinalis is an endangered species. and they're hermaphrodites so SWIM can breed them and they can go w/o food for up to a few months. SWIM is still searching for someone who has isolated the analgesic. If swim finds will report back.

did everyone read that?... "morphinelike compound."

[Micklemouse]

So, how is your Mad Professor going to get his hands on an endangered species?

Edit - he may not have to! Have a read of this

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0411110009.htm

[tayo]

Well when mad scientist gets hands on the leeches in the mail, will examine and hopefully will find classification to be correct. Also the analgesics are found in almost all species of leeches. another article...

"
European Journal of Biochemistry

Volume 267 Issue 8 Page 2354Issue 8 - 2361 - April 2000
To cite this article: Virginie Laurent, Béatrice Salzet, Martine Verger-Bocquet, François Bernet, Michel Salzet (2000)
Morphine-like substance in leech ganglia. Evidence and immune modulation
European Journal of Biochemistry 267 (8), 2354–2361.
doi:10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01239.x

Morphine-like substance in leech ganglia

Evidence and immune modulation


Binding experiments followed by measurement of nitric oxide release revealed an opiate alkaloid high affinity receptor with no affinity to opioids, representing a new µ-subtype receptor in the brain of the leech Theromyzon tessulatum. In addition, evidence of morphine-like substances was found in immunocytochemical studies and HPLC coupled to electrochemical detection (500 mV and 0.02 Hz). Based on previous evidence of the involvement of morphine as an immune response inhibitor, we demonstrate that in leech ganglia injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a potent immunostimulatory agent derived from bacteria) provoked an increase in the level of ganglionic morphine-like substances after a prolonged latency period of 24 h (from 2.4 ± 1.1 pmol per ganglion to 78 ± 12.3 pmol per ganglion; this effect is both concentration- and time-dependent. Finally, we have demonstrated that morphine, after binding to its own receptor, inhibits leech immunocyte activation through adenylate cyclase inhibition and nitric oxide release. This report confirms that morphine is an evolutionarily stable potent immunomodulator.

"
link to above article
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...7.2000.01239.x

[tayo]

this is the vendors image of the leeches SWIM recently purchased... look like the ones on the "3 distinct species" article right?

[Micklemouse]

I'd say so. Out of interest, what is the professor planning on feeding these critters with?

[tayo]

MUAHAHAHA, well swim plans on giving it blood. hirudotherapy! it's an old school medicine, but SWIM only plans on using them where there is localized swelling from a surgery that happened over a year ago. Or for occassional fun. Plus SWIM is convinced they have immunobenificient effects. They can also be fed chunks of meat or frogs or turtles, meat would be used if not SWIMs own blood. The way they live is they dont detach until theyve had their fill, then they just digest and can live without food for months. but swim wont starve hir babies.

[Bajeda]

This has to be one of the most bizarre threads on DF.

I think I'd prefer pets that don't feast on my own blood, thank you very much.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Bajeda knows what he's talking about I think.

[tayo]

welllll.... bizarre can be good right? tayo's robot likes thinking "outside the box". something good could come out of this. tayo will report hir robot's experiences with smoking leech resin, and insufflating, if robot can make it snortable.
may also attempt in depth research and chemical alterations though without isolation of a compound, (if robot can't do so) SWIMs robot might just make a poison. robot is careful though. the recent anti-drug campaign could become the new morphine-like drug of choice! then then it'd be schedule II... wouldn't that be something. "6,3,-hirudo-leechine-morphinone" haha.

[Nagognog2]

If leeches catch on as a high, I'm going to sue the Partnership For A Drug-Free America. I'll bring P.E.T.A. in on the suit.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

If this does truly work swiy could become quite rich,it wouldn't just benefit recreational drug users and addicts it would also be very valueable to hospitals and the pharmaceutical compaines swim is guessing.

[tayo]

okay someone help out and try and understand this...

http://content.febsjournal.org/cgi/c...ull/267/8/2354

good interesting info but...
does it say in the article whaaaaat the exact morphine-like isolate is?
can't find it.. just did a bunch of experiments with naloxone and morphine to confirm that it is morphine-like opiate agonist.

[tayo]

Also, if the leech is secreting a morphine like substance into the host through its saliva, as well as the host's reaction to produce more endogenous morphine as a result of the bite, couldn't leeches be used for opiate withdrawal? (to a certain extent)... haha a whole bunch!... that is... if one were so inclined and had a tub of leeches around.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

It would certainly be incredible and something we could all take pride in if a major medicinal/scientific discovery was made by a member of this forum.Hah simple druggies?Swim thinks not!

[tayo]

maybe swim can isolate morphine-like compound the same way morphine is isolated from opium. swim will have to get access to a molecular microscope and draw a molecule for this forum, this could take a fricken year for swim but hopefully not