Therapeutic arthropods and other, largely terrestrial, folk-medicinally important invertebrates: a comparative survey and review

Table 4 Some examples of therapeutically used invertebrates, for whom bio-active substances are known

Species and/or component	Efficacy and properties	Source
Beeswax, honey & royal jelly	Bio-active, oestrogenic and immunosuppressive compounds	[43, 91, 147]
Bee venom	Anti-malignant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic peptides, e.g. melittin	[85, 88, 178, 179]
Lice salivary glands	Medically effective toxins	[182]
Fly maggots	Anti-microbial secretions	[26, 184]
Stinging ants	Antimicrobial, haemolytic, cytolytic, insecticidal compounds, e.g., peptides	[185, 186]
Meloid beetles, e.g., Mylabris phalerata	Cytotoxic effect on human mononuclear leukaemic U937 cells and anti-cancer and anti-leismanial activities; apoptosis inducer	[35, 159, 190, 231]
Centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans	Peptides with strong antimicrobial and moderate haemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells	[34, 48, 136, 233, 234]
Chelicerates (e.g., Heterometrus bengalensis scorpion)	Apoptogenic, anti-proliferative, anti-osteoporosis substance, e.g., bengalin	[140,142,, 143–145]
Ticks (e.g., Ixodes sp.) and leeches	Cell proliferation inhibitors and Anti-coagulants, e.g., hirudin	[32,199,, 160, 198–200]
Earthworms, e.g. Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubelus	Anti-pyretic, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, anti-asthmatic, anti-hypertensive, anti-allergic, anti-neoplastic properties	[156, 158]