What is Lumbrokinase?

 • In 1982, Japanese researchers made the breakthrough discovery of urokinase-like proteases in the gut and body fluids of earthworms, they successfully extracted and characterized a group of fibrinolytic enzymes from the earthworm species, Lumbricus rubellus. These enzymes are capable of degrading both plasminogen-rich and plasminogen-free fibrin. The enzymes were collectively named lumbrokinase (LK) after the genus name for the earthworm, Lumbricus. The discovery was deemed worthy of the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 1984, China tried to isolate and purify fibrinolytic enzyme (lumbrokinase) , from artificially raised Eisenia chinensis;

 • Lumbrokinase is an acidic protein with a molecular weight of about 16,000-45,000 D (the molecular weight of Japanese products is higher, up to 150,000 D ), it can directly degrade fibrin in blood under physiological conditions and activate plasminogen into plasmin, accelerating the dissolution of thrombus in blood. A number of animal experiments have shown that lumbrokinase can also inhibit platelet adhesion, degrade fibrinogen, prothrombin, and FVII. Lumbrokinase can reduce fibrinogen content, shorten euglobulin dissolution time, reduce whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity, increase t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) activity, reduce plasminogen activator inhibition activity, increasing fibrin degradation products, etc.

 • Earthworms have been used as a traditional medicine in China, Japan, and other Far East countries for thousands of years. Oral administration of dry earthworm powder is considered as a potent and effective supplement for supporting healthy blood circulation. Lumbrokinases are a group of enzymes that were isolated and purified from different species of earthworms. These enzymes are recognized as fibrinolytic agents that can be used to treat various conditions associated with thrombosis.

 • To this day, the clinical value of lumbrokinase is widely recognized. It is a multi-molecular recombinant oral formulation with a special affinity for thrombus (fibrin), enabling it to follow thrombolysis and effectively dissolve microthrombi. It can also improve circulation, strengthen the collateral circulation of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system, repair damaged vascular endothelial cells, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, improve the oxygen supply function of blood vessels, reduce blood viscosity, reduce platelet aggregation rate, and inhibit the formation of thrombus again . It can repair the necrotic brain cells around the thrombus and save the penumbra. At present, it has been widely used clinically, and is increasingly used in the prevention and treatment of diseases such as heart, cerebrovascular, endocrine, and respiratory systems.