Discovery and development of direct Xa inhibitors Xa was identified as a promising target for the development of new anticoagulants in the early 1980s. In 1987 the first factor Xa inhibitor, the naturally occurring compound antistasin, was isolated from the salivary glands of the Mexican leech "Haementeria officinalis". Antistasin is a polypeptide and a potent Xa inhibitor. In 1990 another naturally occurring Xa inhibitor was isolated, tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP) from extracts of the tick "Ornithodoros moubata". TAP and antistasin were used to estimate factor Xa as a drug target. Blood coagulation is a complex process by which the blood forms clots. It is an essential part
Copper peptide GHK-Cu Copper peptide GHK-Cu Copper peptide GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper complex of the tripeptide glycyl--histidyl--lysine. The tripeptide has strong affinity for copper(II) and was first isolated from human plasma. It can be found also in saliva and urine. Several copper(II)-peptide complexes occur naturally. In human plasma, the level of GHK-Cu is about 200 µg/ml at age 20. By the age of 60, the level drops to 80 µg/ml. In humans, GHK-Cu is proposed to promote wound healing, attraction of immune cells, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, stimulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis in skin fibroblasts and promotion of blood vessels