The biochemical composition of leech,Whitmania pigra,collected from Weishan Lake,Shandong province
Lü Dan1,HUANG Xu-xiong1,SUN Yue-song2,ZANG De-fa2
1.Key Laboratory of Exploitation and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources,Ministry of Education,Shanghai Ocean University,Shanghai 201306,China;2.Youbo Pharmaceutical Co.,LTD,Mudanjiang 157011,China
Abstract: The body composition was analyzed in leech Whitmania pigra,an important aquatic animal for Chinese medicine,with body weight of 3.2-6.5 g collected at Weishan Lake in Shandong Province.It was found that the leech had moisture of 85.61%,crude protein 11.24%,total lipid 0.95%,ash 0.77%and carbohydrate 1.43%. There was total amino acid of 614.58 mg/g DW in the leech body,with more Glu,Asp,Leu,Lys and Gly and less Met.A total of 31 fatty acids were detected in the leech body with high proportion of eicosanoic acids(40.08%), especially arachidonic acid(ARA)(13.48%),oleic acid(18:1)(13.24%).The proportions of MUFA,PUFA and HUFA were found to be 35.31%,46.66%and 24.41%,respectively.The ratio of Σn-6PUFA/Σn-3PUFA fatty acid was 3.24 in the leech body,higher than that in freshwater or marine fish.It is therefore suggested that the high medical value of the leech be partially due to the fatty acid and amino acid compositions.
2011, Vol. 26 
