J Biomed Transl Res.  2018 Sep;19(3):58-64. 10.12729/jbtr.2018.19.3.058.

The potential of earthworm and its components as a therapeutic agent for neuronal damage

• Moon BC
• Kim JS

• KMID: 2435757
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12729/jbtr.2018.19.3.058

Abstract

Earthworms have been employed in traditional oriental medicine for the treatment of neurological disorders, as anticonvulsants, analgesics, and sedatives. In fact, earthworms are currently used as a medicinal agent in China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and North Korea. However, both the species and the genus of the earthworms registered in the pharmacopoeia of each country are different. Neural injury is induced by oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. The role of various synthetic chemicals of earthworms as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents have been studied and earthworm extract and its components have been shown to protect nerve cells and restore nerve function in various preclinical neuronal damage models. We employed earthworm extracts to provide prevention and treatment strategies for many neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment, cerebral infarction, and peripheral nerve damage. In this study, we investigated the effects of earthworm extracts and its components to explore their prophylactic and therapeutic effects in various neuropathic models. We used earthworm resources to provide prevention and treatment strategies for many neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment, cerebral infarction, and peripheral nerve damage. We summarized the protective effects of both earthworms and their extracts on neuropathies. The current study identified some earthworm components to be used in treatment and prevention strategies for nerve disorders and could be helpful for the development of new therapies for intractable diseases.

Keyword

earthworm; parkinson's disease; hippocampus; brain ischemia; peripheral neural injury

MeSH Terms

Analgesics
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Anticonvulsants
Apoptosis
Brain Ischemia
Cerebral Infarction
China
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Hippocampus
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Inflammation
Japan
Korea
Medicine, East Asian Traditional
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Nervous System Diseases
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurons*
Oligochaeta*
Oxidative Stress
Parkinson Disease
Peripheral Nerves
Taiwan
Therapeutic Uses
Analgesics
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Anticonvulsants
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Therapeutic Uses