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ackermann t1_irfpj5i wrote

Reply to comment by Maephia in A skin graft using sticky mussel "feet" proteins heals without scars by dazosan

> Leech saliva has very useful properties that make it helpful to heal

Maybe we could just harvest the saliva then, rather than using actual leeches? You could buy “leech saliva” over the counter, to put on small wounds, under a bandaid.

Or perhaps synthesize the relevant components. Add them to products like Neosporin

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Maephia t1_irfptmr wrote

If it could be done it would be done so I assume there are issues. Plus this works well, is safe and is cheap so why change?

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jackjackj8ck t1_irfslhz wrote

The actual bloodsucking they do help promotes blood flow to the skin grafts

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kazr99 t1_irfsp8n wrote

It’s probably not worth it and my guess is the extraction of the saliva could not yield enough and other local anesthetics are probably cheaper to produce.

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Uncynical_Diogenes t1_irg8o96 wrote

The person who offhandedly proposes that we farm leeches for their proteins never stops to think about why it is just easier to farm leeches.

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EbagI t1_irg1qxd wrote

We actually do have a medicine directly from their saliva (hirudin, the medicine is a synthetic analog, bivalirudin)

But, the benefit of the leech therapy is that it get exactly where you want it and really helps with microvasculature, bivalirudin is IV only (i.e. you can only give it via an a vein and it circulated systemically)

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Uncynical_Diogenes t1_irg8r6w wrote

Like yeah, we can make leech juice, but we can’t administer it leech-style, which is the main benefit of administering leeches in the first place.

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