| novel thrombolytic therapy discovered from traditional oriental medicine using the earthworm. | since a few thousand years ago, the earthworm has been used as a drug for various diseases in china and the far east. however, modern scientific pharmacological studies have not so far been performed. we extracted a very strong fibrinolytic enzyme from the earthworm, lumbricus rubellus. this enzyme was heat-stable and displayed a very broad optimal ph range. purification of the enzyme was performed and three partially purified fractions were obtained. these three fractions were further subdivide ... | 1992 | 1298986 |
| [fibrinolytic enzymes extracted from the earthworm. lumbricus rubellus: a possible thrombolytic agent]. | | 1991 | 1941660 |
| [use of earthworms as a protein supplement in diets for rabbits]. | the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the nutritive value of earthworms as protein feed in rabbit rations. earthworm meal was obtained from eisenia foetida and lumbricus rubellus. its proximate chemical composition, amino acid composition and protein digestibility in vitro were determined. in addition, growing rabbits were fed a diet containing 30% of the total protein as earthworm meal, diet which was compared with a control diet containing soybean meal as protein feed. both diets we ... | 1988 | 3154302 |
| surface characteristics and properties of lumbrokinase-immobilized polyurethane. | potent and novel fibrinolytic enzymes (lumbrokinase [lk]) were extracted from the earthworm, lumbricus rubellus. these enzymes were very stable and showed greater antithrombotic activity than other currently used fibrinolytic proteins. an lk fraction showing the most potent fibrinolytic activity was immobilized onto a polyurethane (pu) surface to investigate its enzymatic activity and antithrombotic activity. a methanol-extracted pu surface was coated with 3% (wt/vol) maleic anhydride methylviny ... | 1995 | 7615590 |
| modelling and monitoring organochlorine and heavy metal accumulation in soils, earthworms, and shrews in rhine-delta floodplains. | in the rhine-delta, accumulation of microcontaminants in floodplain foodwebs has received little attention in comparison with aquatic communities. to investigate organochlorine and metal concentrations in a terrestrial foodchain, samples of soil, earthworms (lumbricus rubellus), and shrew (crocidura russula, sorex araneus) livers and kidneys were taken from two moderately to heavily polluted floodplains. chlorobiphenyl residues in earthworm fat were 0.10 to 3.5 times the concentrations in soil o ... | 1995 | 7794009 |
| antithrombogenicity of lumbrokinase-immobilized polyurethane. | lumbrokinase is a potent fibrinolytic enzyme purified from the earthworm, lumbricus rubellus. we immobilized 18 iu/cm2 of lumbrokinase to polyurethane using maleic anhydride methylvinyl ether copolymer (mamec) as an enzyme carrier, and the proteolytic and fibrinolytic activities of immobilized lumbrokinase were assayed. immobilized lumbrokinase retained about 34% of its activity, compared with soluble lumbrokinase activity. immobilized lumbrokinase showed stability against thermal inactivation a ... | 1994 | 7814434 |
| antithrombotic activity of a lumbrokinase immobilized polyurethane surface. | six fractions of strong and novel fibrinolytic enzymes (lumbrokinase, lk) were extracted from the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. the enzymes in these fractions appeared to be very stable and showed greater antithrombotic activity than other currently used antithrombotics. the authors immobilized an lk fraction that shows the most potent fibrinolytic activity on a polyurethane (pu) surface to investigate its enzymatic and antithrombotic activity. the methanol extracted pu surface was treated with ... | 1993 | 8268550 |
| influence of earthworm activity on gene transfer from pseudomonas fluorescens to indigenous soil bacteria. | we have developed a model system to assess the influence of earthworm activity on the transfer of plasmid pjp4 from an inoculated donor bacterium, pseudomonas fluorescens c5t (pjp4), to indigenous soil microorganisms. three different earthworm species (lumbricus terrestris, lumbricus rubellus, and aporrectodea trapezoides), each with unique burrowing, casting, and feeding behaviors, were evaluated. soil columns were inoculated on the surface with 10(8) cells per g of soil of the donor bacterium, ... | 1996 | 8593052 |
| chemical modification of earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme with human serum albumin fragment and characterization of the protease as a therapeutic enzyme. | the strongest fibrinolytic protease (f-iii-2) in the six enzyme proteins purified from earthworm, lumbricus rubellus [n. nakajima et al., biosci. biotech. biochem., 57, 1726-1730 (1993)] has been modified chemically with fragmented human serum albumin (mol. wt., 10,000-30,000). the modified enzyme lost the antigenicity of the native enzyme and reacted with the antisera against human serum albumin, the human serum albumin fragments, and the conjugate with the native enzyme to form precipitation l ... | 1996 | 9063978 |
| identification of heavy metal induced changes in the expression patterns of the translationally controlled tumour protein (tctp) in the earthworm lumbricus rubellus1. | heavy metal contaminated soils are assessed for specific human health and ecological risk by governmental regulatory agencies utilizing the abundant soil invertebrate, the earthworm, in a biomonitoring process. fingerprinting the molecular genetic responses resulting from heavy metal exposure facilitates the identification of biomarkers for assessing the impact of such pollution on individual organisms. this paper reports the identification of a novel translationally controlled tumour protein (t ... | 1998 | 9655922 |
| cu-cd interactions in earthworms maintained in laboratory microcosms: the examination of a putative copper paradox. | earthworms (lumbricus rubellus) from ecton (predominantly cu-contaminated), shipham (cd-contaminated) and dinas powys (uncontaminated, reference) were maintained in the laboratory on soil from the sampling sites. two principle exposure protocols were used: (1) a 4-week 'no pre-exposure experiment', where batches of earthworms were maintained on soils from each habitat and (2) a 'pre-exposure experiment' where uncontaminated control worms were maintained on shipham soil for 4 weeks (the pre-expos ... | 1998 | 9827035 |
| dose dependency of earthworm powder on antithrombotic and fibrinolytic effects. | the freeze-dried powder of lumbricus rubellus earthworm was administered orally to rats and its fibrinolytic and antithrombotic effects were investigated. the fibrinolytic activity of plasma was determined by measuring the plasmin activity of the euglobulin fraction and was increased to two-folds of the control at a dose of 0.5 g/kg/day and five times with 1 g/kg/day after 4-day administration. the antithrombotic effect was studied in an arterio-venous shunt model of rats. the thrombus weight de ... | 1998 | 9875462 |
| effect of beringite on cadmium and zinc uptake by plants and earthworms: more than a liming effect? | metal-contaminated soils are potentially harmful to plants, animals, and humans. harmful effects are often related to the free-metal concentration in the soil solution. immobilization is a potentially useful method to improve the quality of metal-contaminated soils by transforming free-metal ions into species that are less mobile and less toxic. the effect of many immobilizing products can be attributed to sorption on the surface of the material. alkaline materials also enhance adsorption to soi ... | 2001 | 11392145 |
| some features of intestinal absorption of intact fibrinolytic enzyme iii-1 from lumbricus rubellus. | in order to investigate whether earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme iii-1 (efe-iii-1) isolated from lumbricus rubellus is capable of transporting into blood through intestinal epithelium and keeping its biological function in circulation, we have raised an antibody against efe-iii-1. the immunological results showed that 10-15% of intact efe-iii-1 was absorbed by the intestinal epithelium with the incubation chamber method [vilhardt and lundin, acta physiol. scand. 126 (1986) 601-607]. the enzyme coul ... | 2001 | 11410338 |
| molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression of cdna encoding serine protease with fibrinolytic activity from earthworm. | an earthworm, lumbricus rubellus, produces alkaline trypsin-like proteases that are greater than trypsins in their stability and strong tolerance to organic solvents. cdnas encoding strong fibrinolytic proteases (f-iii-2 and f-iii-1) in the six isozymes were cloned and sequenced to study their stability-structure relationship. the cdnas of f-iii-2 and f-iii-1 comprised 1011 and 973 bp and included open reading frames that encode polypeptides of 245 and 246 amino acid residues, respectively. the ... | 2001 | 11515541 |
| molecular and culture-based analyses of prokaryotic communities from an agricultural soil and the burrows and casts of the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. | the microbial populations in no-till agricultural soil and casts of the earthworm lumbricus rubellus were examined by culturing and molecular methods. clone libraries of the 16s rrna genes were prepared from dna isolated directly from the soil and earthworm casts. although no single phylum dominated the soil library of 95 clones, the largest numbers of clones were from acidobacteria (14%), cytophagales (13%), chloroflexi (8%), and gamma-proteobacteria (8%). while the cast clone library of 102 cl ... | 2002 | 11872477 |
| long-term survival and germination of bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki in a field trial. | long-term survival, dispersal, and germination of bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki dmu67r has been investigated in a field trial. an experimental cabbage plot was sprayed with dmu67r in 1993 and allowed to lie fallow since. the investigations reported here were carried out from 1997 to 2000 in this plot. high persistence of dmu67r for 7 years in the bulk soil of the plot has been demonstrated. the numbers have not significantly reduced since 1994, stabilizing around 6.6 x 10(2) cfu/g from 19 ... | 2002 | 11989770 |
| contribution of the earthworm lumbricus rubellus (annelida, oligochaeta) to the establishment of plasmids in soil bacterial communities. | the contribution of the earthworm lumbricus rubellus in spreading plasmids from a nonindigenous bacterial species to the soil microbial community was studied with escherichia coli strains as donor organisms. the selected donor strains harbored marker-gene tagged plasmids with different transfer properties and host ranges. prototrophic benzoate degrading indigenous bacteria were analyzed as potential recipients. in filter-mating experiments, donor strains were mixed with bacterial cell consortia ... | 2001 | 12032608 |
| earthworms (oligochaeta, lumbricidae) and mycobacteria. | the objective of the study was to define the role of earthworms in the survival of mycobacteria in animal populations. in 13 sampling sites mycobacteria were detected in 53 (5.5%) samples of faeces and parenchymatous tissues from animals, in 25 (7.3%) environmental and in nine (8.2%) earthworm samples. in cattle and goat farms affected by mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (m. paratuberculosis) of is900 restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) type b-c1 was isolated from 37 (4.6% ... | 2003 | 12477646 |
| in vivo evaluation of lumbrokinase, a fibrinolytic enzyme extracted from lumbricus rubellus, in a prosthetic vascular graft. | lumbrokinase (lk) is a fibrinolytic enzyme purified from the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. to investigate the fibrinolytic and antithrombotic effects of lumbrokinase, a series of animal experiments were performed. | 2002 | 12483186 |
| effect of alpha2m on earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme iii-1 from lumbricus rubellus. | though it is known that human alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2m) inhibits most proteases, the effect of alpha2m has not been investigated on earthworm fibrinolytic enzymes (efes) from lumbricus rubellus, which could be transported from intestine epithelium into blood as an intact molecule (fan et al., biochim. biophys. acta 1526 (2001) 286). the activity of earthworm fibrinolytic iii-1 (efe-iii-1) decreased to 65% when incubated with alpha2m, while it decreased to 30% in plasma under the same condit ... | 2002 | 12559429 |
| an antimicrobial peptide of the earthworm pheretima tschiliensis: cdna cloning, expression and immunolocalization. | a cdna encoding a putative antimicrobial peptide (named pp-1) was obtained using a rapid amplification of cdna ends from the asian earthworm, pheretima tschiliensis. pp-1 showed 77.6% homology with the antimicrobial peptide lumbricin i isolated from the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. pp-1 lacked an obvious signal peptide sequence. rt-pcr analysis demonstrated that this gene was expressed mainly in the body wall. pp-1 was expressed in escherichia coli as a fusion protein with a maltoze-binding pro ... | 2003 | 14514059 |
| lead and stable lead isotope ratios in soil, earthworms, and bones of american woodcock (scolopax minor) from eastern canada. | a study to discriminate among different possible sources of elevated pb exposure for american woodcock (scolopax minor) in eastern canada is described. undamaged wing bones excised from young-of-the-year woodcock collected from several locations in southern ontario, southern quebec, new brunswick, and nova scotia, canada, along with soil and earthworm (aporrectodea tuberculata and lumbricus rubellus) samples from the same sites, were analyzed for total pb, and stable pb isotopes. ignoring six so ... | 2003 | 14587896 |
| molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression of a fibrinolytic serine-protease gene from the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. | the full-length cdna of the lumbrokinase fraction 6 (f6) protease gene of lumbricus rubellus was amplified using an mrna template, sequenced and expressed in e. coli cells. the f6 protease gene consisted of pro- and mature sequences by gene sequence analysis, and the protease was translated and modified into active mature polypeptide by n-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the f6 protease. the pro-region of f6 protease consisted of the 44 residues from methionine-1 to lysine-44, and the ma ... | 2004 | 15479621 |
| early-phase immunodetection of metallothionein and heat shock proteins in extruded earthworm coelomocytes after dermal exposure to metal ions. | this paper provides direct evidence that earthworm immune cells, coelomocytes, are exposed to bio-reactive quantities of metals within 3 days after dermal exposure, and that they respond by upregulating metallothionein (mt) and heat shock protein (hsp70, hsp72) expression. indirect support for the hypothesis that coelomocytes are capable of trafficking metals was also obtained. coelomocytes were expelled from adult individuals of eisenia fetida after 3-day exposure either to metal ions (zn, cu, ... | 2005 | 15734587 |
| towards a more appropriate water based extraction for the assessment of organic contaminant availability. | this study correlated extractabilities of 37 d aged phenanthrene residues in four dissimilar soils with the fraction that was available for earthworm (lumbricus rubellus) accumulation and microorganism (pseudomonas sp.) mineralisation. extractability was determined using two established techniques, namely, (1) a water based extraction using co(2) equilibrated water and (2) an aqueous based hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (hpcd) extraction. results showed no relationship between earthworm accumul ... | 2005 | 15936859 |
| monitoring of the process of composting of kitchen waste in an institutional scale worm farm. | vermicomposting provides an alternative method of managing waste that is ecofriendly and cost-effective. the environmental technology centre (etc) at murdoch university and st. john of god hospital (sjog) signed a memorandum of understanding (mou) to install a vermiculture system in sjog to treat some of the organic waste generated by the on site kitchen facility. this is an effort made by sjog to reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfill each year and to treat the waste on site as par ... | 2005 | 16104419 |
| comparative study of the ccf-like pattern recognition protein in different lumbricid species. | coelomic fluid of the lumbricid eisenia fetida contains a 42-kda pattern recognition protein named coelomic cytolytic factor (ccf) that binds microbial cell wall components and triggers the activation of the prophenoloxidase cascade, an important invertebrate defense pathway. here we report on the sequence characterization of ccf-like molecules of other lumbricids: aporrectodea caliginosa, aporrectodea icterica, aporrectodea longa, aporrectodea rosea, dendrobaena veneta, lumbricus rubellus and l ... | 2006 | 16386303 |
| risk assessment of metals and organic pollutants for herbivorous and carnivorous small mammal food chains in a polluted floodplain (biesbosch, the netherlands). | a risk assessment was made for a carnivorous and a herbivorous food chain in a heavily polluted natural estuary (biesbosch), by determining the most critical pollutants and the food chain most at risk. exposure of food chains to metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) was assessed by analyzing dietary concentrations, internal concentrations, and biomarkers of exposure. common shrew (sorex araneus) and bank vole (clethrionomys glareolus) were selected ... | 2006 | 16530312 |
| plasmid transfer between spatially separated donor and recipient bacteria in earthworm-containing soil microcosms. | most gene transfer studies have been performed with relatively homogeneous soil systems in the absence of soil macrobiota, including invertebrates. in this study we examined the influence of earthworm activity (burrowing, casting, and feeding) on transfer of plasmid pjp4 between spatially separated donor (alcaligenes eutrophus) and recipient (pseudomonas fluorescens) bacteria in nonsterile soil columns. a model system was designed such that the activity of earthworms would act to mediate cell co ... | 1997 | 16535521 |
| [cloning and expression of lumbrokinase gene in pichia pastoris]. | lumbrokinase gene f238 was amplified by rt-pcr from the total rna of earthworm (eisenia fetida). the gene including signal peptide sequence was inserted into pucm-t vector to construct pucm-t-f238. the product was sequenced. the genbank accession number was dq202401. lumbrokinase f238 comprised 738bp and included an open reading frame that encoded a polypeptide of 245 amino acid residues, containing a signal peptide of 7 amino acid residues and a mature peptide of 238 amino acid residues. both n ... | 2006 | 17037059 |
| [in silico cloning of efp-0, a novel earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme gene and verification of its coding region by rt-pcr]. | there are four different types of n-terminal amino acid sequences (f-i-0, f-i, f-ii, f-iii) in the multicomponents of earthworm fibrinolytic enzymes (efe). in genbank 21 nucleic acid sequences of efe have been reported. among them, most of the n-terminal amino acid sequences belong to the f-iii type,few belong to the f-ii type. only one is similar to the f-i type, but none to f-i-0. in this research we hoped to obtain the gene encoding component f-i-0 of efe by the bioinformatics tools. based on ... | 2006 | 17168309 |
| purification and characterization of fibrinolytic alkaline protease from fusarium sp. blb. | fusarium sp. blb, which produces a strongly fibrinolytic enzyme, was isolated from plant leaf (hibiscus). fibrinolytic alkaline protease was purified from a culture filtrate of fusarium sp. blb by precipitation with (nh4)2(so4) and column chromatography with cm-toyopearl 650 m and superdex 75. the purified enzyme was homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page). the molecular weight was 27,000 by sds-page. maximum activity of protease was observed at ph 9.5 ... | 2007 | 17221202 |
| [cloning, expression of fibrinolytic enzyme gene efp-i from eisenia fetida in escherichia coli and activity analysis]. | earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme (efe) is a group of protease having fibrinolytic and plasminogen-activator activities isolated from earthworm. molecular biology research showed that there were 21 efe coding sequences, in which only one sequence, ay438624, whose translated protein had similar n-terminal amino-acid sequence to efp-i purified from eisenia fetida. to obtain coding sequence of efp-i , we designed specific primers according to 5' and 3' sequences of ay438624. a new dna sequence was obta ... | 2007 | 17577992 |
| freeze tolerance in aporrectodea caliginosa and other earthworms from finland. | earthworms that live in subarctic and cold temperate areas must deal with frost even though winter temperatures in the soil are often more moderate than air temperatures. most lumbricid earthworms can survive temperatures down to the melting point of their body fluids but only few species are freeze tolerant, i.e. tolerate internal ice formation. in the present study, earthworms from finland were tested for freeze tolerance, and the glycogen reserves and glucose mobilization (as a cryoprotectant ... | 2007 | 17618617 |
| metabolic profile biomarkers of metal contamination in a sentinel terrestrial species are applicable across multiple sites. | in this study, we addressed the question of whether an omic approach could genuinely be useful for biomarker profile analysis across different field sites with different physicochemical characteristics. we collected earthworms (lumbricus rubellus) from seven sites with very different levels of metal contamination and prevailing soil type and analyzed tissue extracts by 1h nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. pattern recognition analysis of the data showed that both site- and contaminant-spec ... | 2007 | 17626452 |
| effects of tobacco genetically modified to express protease inhibitor bovine spleen trypsin inhibitor on non-target soil organisms. | effects of tobacco genetically modified to express the protease inhibitor bovine spleen trypsin inhibitor (bsti) were examined in laboratory assays against three earthworm and one collembolan species. bsti is a serine protease inhibitor that can bind to the digestive trypsins of insects feeding on modified plants, resulting in reduced growth and survival. protease inhibitors are active against a broad range of insects, so may have a large impact on non-target organisms. survival and fecundity of ... | 2007 | 18001685 |
| application of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis for analysing the gut microflora of lumbricus rubellus hoffmeister under different feeding conditions. | the earthworm, lumbricus rubellus, plays an essential role in soil ecosystems as it affects organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. by ingesting a mixture of organic and mineral material, a variety of bacteria and fungi are carried to the intestinal tract of the earthworm. to get a better understanding of the interactions between l. rubellus and the microorganisms ingested, this study tried to reveal if the diet affects the composition of the gut microflora of l. rubellus or if its in ... | 2008 | 18439343 |
| waste recycling: utilization of coffee grounds and kitchen waste in vermicomposting. | vermicomposting using lumbricus rubellus for 49 days was conducted after 21 days of pre-composting. three different combination of treatments were prepared with eight replicates for each treatment namely cow dung: kitchen waste in 30:70 ratio (t(1)), cow dung: coffee grounds in 30:70 ratio (t(2)), and cow dung: kitchen waste: coffee grounds in 30:35:35 ratio (t(3)). the multiplication of earthworms in terms of numbers and weight were measured at the end of vermicomposting. consequently, only t(2 ... | 2009 | 18752936 |
| a novel anti-plant viral protein from coelomic fluid of the earthworm eisenia foetida: purification, characterization and its identification as a serine protease. | a novel protein showing strong antiviral activities against cucumber mosaic virus (cmv) and tomato mosaic virus (tmv) was purified from the coelomic fluid of the earthworm eisenia foetida. the protein was characterized as a cold-adapted serine protease. its molecular weight was estimated to be 27,000 by sds-page. the enzyme was most active at ph 9.5 and 40-50 degrees c. the protease activity at 4 degrees c was 60% of that obtained at the optimal temperature. the activity was suppressed by variou ... | 2008 | 18775500 |
| earthworms and in vitro physiologically-based extraction tests: complementary tools for a holistic approach towards understanding risk at arsenic-contaminated sites. | the relationship of the total arsenic content of a soil and its bioaccumulation by earthworms (lumbricus rubellus and dendrodrilus rubidus) to the arsenic fraction bioaccessible to humans, measured using an in vitro physiologically-based extraction test (pbet), was investigated. soil and earthworm samples were collected at 24 sites at the former arsenic mine at the devon great consols (dgc) in southwest england (uk), along with an uncontaminated site in nottingham, uk, for comparison. analysis o ... | 2009 | 18958400 |
| opening a can of worms: unprecedented sympatric cryptic diversity within british lumbricid earthworms. | earthworms play a major role in many aspects of soil fertility, food web ecology and ecosystem functioning, and hence are frequently the subjects of, for example, ecological and toxicological research. our aim was to examine the genetic structure of common earthworm species, to identify cryptic lineages or species that may be distinct ecotypes or biotypes (and hence confound current research based upon morphotypes) and to try to explain the massive cryptic diversity that eventually emerged. we d ... | 2008 | 18992008 |
| effects of metal pollution on earthworm communities in a contaminated floodplain area: linking biomarker, community and functional responses. | effects on earthworms in the contaminated floodplain area the biesbosch, the netherlands, were determined at different levels of organization using a combination of field and laboratory tests. the species lumbricus rubellus, collected from different polluted sites in the biesbosch, showed reduced values for the biomarker neutral red retention time (nrrt), mainly explained by high metal concentrations in the soil and the resulting high internal copper concentrations in the earthworms. organic pol ... | 2009 | 19062144 |
| gut-associated denitrification and in vivo emission of nitrous oxide by the earthworm families megascolecidae and lumbricidae in new zealand. | previous studies have documented the capacity of european earthworms belonging to the family lumbricidae to emit the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (n(2)o), an activity attributed primarily to the activation of ingested soil denitrifiers. to extend the information base to earthworms in the southern hemisphere, four species of earthworms in new zealand were examined for gut-associated denitrification. lumbricus rubellus and aporrectodea rosea (introduced species of lumbricidae) emitted n(2)o, where ... | 2009 | 19346358 |
| effect of earthworm feeding guilds on ingested dissimilatory nitrate reducers and denitrifiers in the alimentary canal of the earthworm. | the earthworm gut is an anoxic nitrous oxide (n(2)o)-emitting microzone in aerated soils. in situ conditions of the gut might stimulate ingested nitrate-reducing soil bacteria linked to this emission. the objective of this study was to determine if dissimilatory nitrate reducers and denitrifiers in the alimentary canal were affected by feeding guilds (epigeic [lumbricus rubellus], anecic [lumbricus terrestris], and endogeic [aporrectodea caliginosa]). genes and gene transcripts of narg (encodes ... | 2010 | 20656855 |
| purification of a protein from coelomic fluid of the earthworm eisenia foetida and evaluation of its hemolytic, antibacterial, and antitumor activities. | earthworm eisenia foetida (lumbricus rubellus), a traditional chinese medicine, is used for treating many diseases, and its coelomic fluid has extensive biological functions. | 2011 | 21323479 |
| dlbs1033, a protein extract from lumbricus rubellus, possesses antithrombotic and thrombolytic activities. | the medicinal value of earthworm has been widely known since the history of asian ancient medicine. this present study aims to determine the mechanism of action and effect of a standardized extract of lumbricus rubellus named as dlbs1033. the fibrinogen degradation, antiplatelet aggregation, and ex vivo antithrombotic assay using human blood were performed to study antithrombotic activity. fibrin plate and clot lysis assay were also done to examine thrombolytic properties. dlbs1033 was found to ... | 2011 | 21403877 |
| a novel antimicrobial peptide from skin secretions of the earthworm, pheretima guillelmi (michaelsen). | a novel lumbricin-like antimicrobial peptide named lumbricin-pg was isolated from skin secretions of the earthworm, pheretima guillelmi (michaelsen), using a procedure of one step sephadex g-50 gel filtration and one step c(8) reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (rp-hplc). its amino acid sequence was determined as fsryarmrdsrpwsdrknnysgpqftyppekappeklikwnn egspifempaegghiep by edman degradation combined with cdna cloning and mass spectrometry analysis. the cdna encoding lumbrici ... | 2011 | 21539875 |
| potential macro-detritivore range expansion into the subarctic stimulates litter decomposition: a new positive feedback mechanism to climate change? | as a result of low decomposition rates, high-latitude ecosystems store large amounts of carbon. litter decomposition in these ecosystems is constrained by harsh abiotic conditions, but also by the absence of macro-detritivores. we have studied the potential effects of their climate change-driven northward range expansion on the decomposition of two contrasting subarctic litter types. litter of alnus incana and betula pubescens was incubated in microcosms together with monocultures and all possib ... | 2011 | 21735203 |
| Ecological transfer of radionuclides and metals to free-living earthworm species in natural habitats rich in NORM. | Transfer of radionuclides ((232)Th and (238)U) and associated metals (As, Cd, Pb and Cr) from soil to free-living earthworm species was investigated in a thorium ((232)Th) rich area in Norway. Sampling took place within former mining sites representing the technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM), at undisturbed site with unique bedrock geology representing the naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and at site outside the (232)Th rich area taken as r ... | 2011 | 22115612 |
| earthworm lumbricus rubellus mt-2: metal binding and protein folding of a true cadmium-mt. | earthworms express, as most animals, metallothioneins (mts)-small, cysteine-rich proteins that bind d(10) metal ions (zn(ii), cd(ii), or cu(i)) in clusters. three mt homologues are known for lumbricus rubellus, the common red earthworm, one of which, wmt-2, is strongly induced by exposure of worms to cadmium. this study concerns composition, metal binding affinity and metal-dependent protein folding of wmt-2 expressed recombinantly and purified in the presence of cd(ii) and zn(ii). crucially, wh ... | 2016 | 26742040 |
| pyrosequencing of prey dna in reptile faeces: analysis of earthworm consumption by slow worms. | little quantitative ecological information exists on the diets of most invertebrate feeding reptiles, particularly nocturnal or elusive species that are difficult to observe. in the uk and elsewhere, reptiles are legally required to be relocated before land development can proceed, but without knowledge of their dietary requirements, the suitability of receptor sites cannot be known. here, we tested the ability of non-invasive dna-based molecular diagnostics (454 pyrosequencing) to analyse repti ... | 2012 | 22176947 |
| properties of silver nanoparticles influencing their uptake in and toxicity to the earthworm lumbricus rubellus following exposure in soil. | physicochemical properties of nanoparticles influence their environmental fate and toxicity, and studies investigating this are vital for a holistic approach towards a comprehensive and adequate environmental risk assessment. in this study, we investigated the effects of size, surface coating (charge) of silver nanoparticles (agnps) - a most commonly-used nanoparticle-type, on the bioaccumulation in, and toxicity (survival, growth, cocoon production) to the earthworm lumbricus rubellus. agnps we ... | 2016 | 27524251 |
| effect on heavy metals concentration from vermiconversion of agro-waste mixed with landfill leachate. | spent pleurotus sajor-caju compost mixed with livestock excreta, i.e. cow dung or goat manure, was contaminated with landfill leachate and vermiremediated in 75 days. results showed an extreme decrease of heavy metals, i.e. cd, cr and pb up to 99.81% removal as effect of vermiconversion process employing epigeic earthworms i.e. lumbricus rubellus. in addition, there were increments of cu and zn from 15.01% to 85.63%, which was expected as non-accumulative in l. rubellus and secreted out as conta ... | 2015 | 25670166 |
| effects of formalin on some biomarker activities of earthworms pre-exposed to temephos. | despite its negative effects, formalin has been often used for the expulsion of earthworms due to its high efficiency; however it is not known whether it will affect any significant measurable molecular processes in sampled earthworms. the aim of this research was to investigate effects of formalin on the activities of chosen molecular biomarkers in eisenia andrei earthworms previously exposed to temephos. additionally, the inhibitory effect of temephos, hitherto evaluated only on laboratory-bre ... | 2013 | 23298666 |
| exotic earthworm effects on hardwood forest floor, nutrient availability and native plants: a mesocosm study. | a greenhouse mesocosm experiment, representing earthworm-free north american acer-dominated forest floor and soil conditions, was used to examine the individual and combined effects of initial invasion by three european earthworm species (dendrobaena octaedra, lumbricus rubellus and lumbricus terrestris) on the forest floor and upper soil horizons, n and p availability, and the mortality and biomass of four native understory plant species (acer saccharum, aquilegia canadensis, aralia racemosa, a ... | 2008 | 18066602 |
| avoidance of cu- and zn-contaminated soil by three ecologically different earthworm species. | earthworm avoidance response to soils contaminated with harmful substances has been proposed as a potential tool for assessing soil toxicity with low test effort. in the present study, the objective was to find out whether three ecologically different earthworm species, aporrectodea tuberculata (eisen), lumbricus rubellus (hoffmeister), and dendrobaena octaedra (savigny), avoid soils simultaneously spiked with cu and zn. in addition, metal-contaminated field soil taken close to a cu-ni smelter w ... | 2005 | 15978289 |
| life cycle toxicity assessment of earthworms exposed to cadmium-contaminated soils. | cadmium (cd) is of great concern in the soil environment and it can damage terrestrial organisms. the purpose of this study was to employ a toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic (tk/td) approach to investigate the effects of toxicologically relevant cd accumulation on the life cycle growth of earthworms (lumbricus rubellus and eisenia fetida) and to assess potential terrestrial ecosystem risk. we reanalyzed growth toxicity and whole body and pellet accumulation data linked with tk/td and life cycle growth ... | 2017 | 28130694 |
| anti-elastase, anti-tyrosinase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 inhibitory activity of earthworm extracts as potential new anti-aging agent. | to examine whether earthworms of eisenia fetida, lumbricus rubellus and eudrilus eugeniae extracts have elastase, tyrosinase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (mmp-1) inhibitory activity. | 2014 | 25183109 |
| effects of a natural toxin on life history and gene expression of eisenia andrei. | earthworms perform key functions for a healthy soil ecosystem, such as bioturbation. the soil ecosystem can be challenged by natural toxins such as isothiocyanates (itcs), produced by many commercial crops. therefore, the effects of 2-phenylethyl itc were investigated on the earthworm eisenia andrei using an ecotoxicogenomics approach. exposure to 2-phenylethyl itc reduced both survival and reproduction of e. andrei in a dose-dependent manner (median effective concentration [ec50] = 556 nmol/g). ... | 2014 | 24395740 |
| can commonly measurable traits explain differences in metal accumulation and toxicity in earthworm species? | there is no clear consensus in the literature on the metal accumulation pattern and sensitivity of different earthworm species. in the present study, accumulation and toxicity of cu, cd, ni, and zn in the earthworms lumbricus rubellus (epigeic), aporrectodea longa (anecic), and eisenia fetida (ultra-epigeic) were determined after 28 days exposure in two soils. metal accumulation and sensitivity were interpreted using the specific traits of different earthworm species. results showed that for all ... | 2014 | 24193403 |
| predicting copper toxicity to different earthworm species using a multicomponent freundlich model. | this study aimed to develop bioavailability models for predicting cu toxicity to earthworms (lumbricus rubellus, aporrectodea longa, and eisenia fetida) in a range of soils of varying properties. a multicomponent freundlich model, complying with the basic assumption of the biotic ligands model, was used to relate cu toxicity to the free cu(2+) activity and possible protective cations in soil porewater. median lethal concentrations (lc50s) of cu based on the total cu concentration varied in each ... | 2013 | 23548049 |
| ecotoxicological effects on earthworms of fresh and aged nano-sized zero-valent iron (nzvi) in soil. | although nano-sized zero-valent iron (nzvi) has been used for several years for remediation of contaminated soils and aquifers, only a limited number of studies have investigated secondary environmental effects and ecotoxicity of nzvi to soil organisms. in this study we therefore measured the ecotoxicological effects of nzvi coated with carboxymethyl cellulose on two species of earthworms, eisenia fetida and lumbricus rubellus, using standard oecd methods with sandy loam and artificial oecd soil ... | 2012 | 22595530 |
| purification and characterization of novel fibrinolytic proteases as potential antithrombotic agents from earthworm perionyx excavatus. | six protease fractions, namely fi, fii, fiii-1, fiii-2, fiii-3 and fiv, were isolated from perionyx excavatus earthworm biomass by acetone precipitation, followed by serial chromatography using anion exchange, hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion chromatography. all fractions exhibited strong hydrolytic activity towards casein. the activity of six fractions towards fibrin, determined by fibrin plate assay, ranged from 44 to 831 plasmin unit.mg-1 and ranked as fiii-3 > fiii-2 > fi > fiii-1 ... | 2011 | 21961566 |
| changes in microbial and nutrient composition associated with rumen content compost incubation. | physico-chemical and microbiological investigations were carried out on rumen content material composted for nine months, fresh vermicasts (obtained after passing the same compost through the guts of a mixture of three species of earthworms: eisenia fetida, lumbricus rubellus and perionyx excavates) and microbially enhanced extracts derived from rumen compost, vermicast and vermicast leachate incubated for up to 48 h. compared to composted rumen contents, vermicast was only improved in terms of ... | 2011 | 21169013 |
| in silico identification of conserved micrornas and their target transcripts from expressed sequence tags of three earthworm species. | micrornas are a recently identified class of small regulatory rnas that target more than 30% protein-coding genes. elevating evidence shows that mirnas play a critical role in many biological processes, including developmental timing, tissue differentiation, and response to chemical exposure. in this study, we applied a computational approach to analyze expressed sequence tags, and identified 32 mirnas belonging to 22 mirna families, in three earthworm species eisenia fetida, eisenia andrei, and ... | 2010 | 21030313 |
| metallic trace element body burdens and gene expression analysis of biomarker candidates in eisenia fetida, using an "exposure/depuration" experimental scheme with field soils. | smelting plant activities lead to the accumulation of metal trace elements (mtes) in soils. the presence of high concentrations of mtes can generate an environmental stress likely to affect macroinvertebrates living in close soil contact such as the annelida oligochaeta. eisenia fetida, an ecotoxicologically important test species, was successively exposed to two field soils: (1) a highly contaminated agricultural topsoil collected near the former smelter metaleurop nord (noyelles-godault, franc ... | 2010 | 20149457 |
| evaluation of sample preparation methods for nuclear magnetic resonance metabolic profiling studies with eisenia fetida. | the earthworm eisenia fetida is frequently used in ecotoxicological studies; however, it has not yet been investigated using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)h nmr) metabolic profiling methods. the present study investigates the impact of depuration time, sample homogenization, and different extraction solvents on the quality and reproducibility of the (1)h nmr spectra of e. fetida with the goal of determining whether this species is suitable for future metabonomic studies. a depuration tim ... | 2008 | 18333692 |
| the effect of earthworms on the fractionation and bioavailability of heavy metals before and after soil remediation. | the effect of two earthworm species, lumbricus rubellus and eisenia fetida, on the fractionation/bioavailability of pb and zn before and after soil leaching with edta was studied. four leaching steps with total 12.5 mmol kg(-1) edta removed 39.8% and 6.1% of pb and zn, respectively. edta removed pb from all soil fractions fairly uniformly (assessed using sequential extractions). zn was mostly present in the chemically inert residual soil fraction, which explains its poor removal. analysis of ear ... | 2007 | 17234313 |
| tracking and predation on earthworms by the invasive terrestrial planarian bipalium adventitium (tricladida, platyhelminthes). | the potential ecological impact of exotic terrestrial planarians will be determined in part by their sensory abilities and predatory behavior. it has been suggested that these flatworms may only encounter their earthworm prey by chance, hence restricting the breadth of species they will feed upon and the number of microhabitats in which predator-prey interactions occur. we hypothesized that those flatworms that have already successfully invaded north america (genus bipalium) actually detect and ... | 2004 | 15518983 |
| purification, characterization and crystallization of a group of earthworm fibrinolytic enzymes from eisenia fetida. | seven fibrinolytic enzymes were purified from the earthworm eisenia fetida. the molecular weights of the enzymes were 24663, 29516, 29690, 24201, 24170, 23028 and 29595, and the respective isoelectric points were 3.46, 3.5, 3.5, 3.68, 3.62, 3.94 and 3.46. all the proteases showed different fibrinolytic activity on fibrin plates. studies on substrate specificity and inhibition indicated that they belonged to different types of serine proteases. n-terminal sequencing indicated their high homology ... | 2003 | 12889822 |
| [chemical composition of earthworm (eisenia fetida and lumbricus rubellus) silages]. | earthworms (eisenia fetida and lumbricus rubellus) were ensiled with ground sorghum and molasses in the following proportions: 1) 60% earthworms, 40% sorghum; 2) 60% earthworms, 40% sorghum, adjusting ph to 4.0 with hcl; 3) 60% earthworms, 20% sorghum, 20% molasses; 4) 60% earthworms, 20% sorghum, 20% molasses, adjusting ph to 4.0 with hcl. these mixtures were allowed to ferment for 15 days at 18 degrees c. ph, proximate chemical analyses, digestible protein, true protein, ammonia nitrogen, acet ... | 1996 | 9429616 |
| toxicity and bioaccumulation of chlorophenols in earthworms, in relation to bioavailability in soil. | the acute toxicity of five chlorophenols for two earthworm species was determined in two sandy soils differing in organic matter content and the results were compared with adsorption data. adsorption increased with increasing organic matter content of the soils, but for tetra- and pentachlorophenol was also influenced by soil ph. earthworm toxicity was significantly higher in the soil with a low level of organic matter. this difference disappeared when lc50 values were recalculated to concentrat ... | 1988 | 3168876 |
| the effect of anthropogenic arsenic contamination on the earthworm microbiome. | earthworms are globally distributed and perform essential roles for soil health and microbial structure. we have investigated the effect of an anthropogenic contamination gradient on the bacterial community of the keystone ecological species lumbricus rubellus through utilizing 16s rrna pyrosequencing for the first time to establish the microbiome of the host and surrounding soil. the earthworm-associated microbiome differs from the surrounding environment which appears to be a result of both fi ... | 2015 | 25404571 |