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Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Saliva, Salivary Gland, and Hemolymph Collection from Ixodes scapularis Ticks
Published on: February 21, 2012
Prostaglandin in the saliva of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus
Abstract:
Previous studies of saliva from engorged female cattle ticks revealed a component which induced contration of some isolated smooth muscles. Fractionation and further characterisation have shown that this substance is of the "slow-reacting" type, but that it is neither a bradykinin nor slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis. The substance is deactivated by incubation with 15-hydroxprostaglandin dehydrogenase and its pharmacological properties also support its classification as a prostaglandin. A second pharmacologically-active component has now been found in the saliva but has not yet been characterised.
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