Steroids, histamine, and serotonin in the medicinal leech salivary gland secretion

Abstract

Lipids represent 20% of the total weight of dried pool of medicinal leech salivary gland secretion (SGS) received from about 50 individual animals. There were detected steroids, but not pospholipids in SGS lipid fraction. Immunochemiluminescent analysis identified free steroid hormones in SGS: cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol and dehydroepiandrosterone. Microchromatografic-mass-spectrometric analysis of SGS and of low-molecular weight fraction (LMW) (molecular masses ranged from 220 to 850 Da) has shown the multicomponent nature of the LMW fraction. Using standart preparations as the reference steroid hormones (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione and testosterone) and histamine and serotonine have been identified in SGS.