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Leech therapy: when once is not enough.

B R West1, L S Nichter, D Halpern

  • 1University of Southern California School of Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles 90027.

Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis : an International Journal in Haemostasis and Thrombosis
|February 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
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Serotonin exposure can make leeches reattach, but it does not guarantee they will feed again. This method is not recommended for routine leech reuse in clinical settings.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Science
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Regenerative Medicine

Background:

  • Venous congestion poses a significant risk to tissue survival in reconstructive surgery and trauma.
  • Leech therapy is a valuable method for salvaging compromised tissues, but requires readily available, unfed leeches.
  • Reusing sated leeches could improve availability, but requires a method to restore their feeding capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of serotonin exposure in re-inducing feeding behavior in sated medicinal leeches.
  • To determine if serotonin treatment can enable the reuse of leeches for clinical applications like flap survival.

Main Methods:

  • Sated leeches were purged of blood meals using hypertonic saline or finger pressure.
  • Leeches were exposed to varying concentrations of serotonin (0, 10, 30, 90 µM) for 20 minutes.

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  • Reattachment and refeeding rates, as well as blood meal size, were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Serotonin-exposed leeches reattached at a significantly higher rate (30%) compared to controls (8%).
    • Only 10% of treated leeches refed, consuming a smaller blood meal than their initial feeding.
    • No control leeches refed, and serotonin bathing was deemed unsuitable for routine leech reuse.

    Conclusions:

    • While serotonin can induce reattachment, it is not a reliable method for re-establishing feeding in leeches.
    • The low refeeding rate and reduced meal size limit the practical application of this method for leech reuse.
    • In critical situations with limited leech availability, the temporary refeeding observed after low-dose serotonin might offer a short-term solution.