Ethnopharmacological relevance: The centipede has been prescribed for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Korea, China and other Far Eastern Asian countries for several hundred years.
Materials and methods: A novel antithrombotic peptide was isolated from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans using a combination of ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-50 column, Source 15Q anion exchange column and RP-HPLC C18 column.
Results: The molecular mass of the purified peptide is 346Da measured by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS). The primary structure of the peptide is Ser-Gln-Leu (SQL) determined by Edman degradation. SQL potently prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and inhibited platelet aggregation.
Conclusions: These results help to clarify the mechanism of the antithrombotic activity of the centipede for effective treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
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