Useful Invertebrates for the Medical and Research Communities

Useful Invertebrates for the Medical and Research Communities
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Introduction
Invertebrates are animals that do not have or develop a vertebral column. They form the largest percentage of Kingdom Animalia. Invertebrates are found both on land and water that include insects and Seastars respectively, just for examples. Insect forms the largest number of the invertebrates (Bruckner, 2002). Their contribution to medicine is commendable. Some of the invertebrates that produce medicinal products includes corals, seahorse, blowflies, and grasshoppers.
Corals are invertebrates from the class Anthozoa of the cnidarian phylum. They are marine animals and contribute to the buildup of coral reefs (Bruckner, 2002). Antiviral and anti-cancer drugs that are Ara -A and Ara- C respectively are developed from sponges extracts acquired from the Caribbean reefs
Seahorse defines over 50 species of small fishes of the genus Hippocampus. Apart from being sources of seafood, they also have a medicinal importance. Societies from the Far East like the Chinese, discovered therapeutic benefits of these creatures in the 14th century (Bruckner, 2002). Extract from this animals helps treat the sexual disorders, skin problems, kidney and liver ailments, and heart and lungs disorders.
Blowflies are found in the order diphtheria. They are common around meat processing plants and decaying matter (Pemberton, 1999). They give peptide ployfensin that is an antibiotic. Another extract from blowflies is called Alloferon, which is used in the treatment of genital herpes.

Grasshopper are found in the class insect. Their central nervous system is closely similar to that of a human being. They have simple DNA structure, which have made it easier for scientific studies (Pemberton, 1999). Grasshopper’s extracts have been used for treatment of pains and some forms of a migraine
In conclusion, Terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates have proved to have medicinal value apart from food. Many scientific studies that include clinical trials are in progress to study the working mechanism, of those extracts.
References
Bruckner, A. (2002). Life-saving products from coral reefs. Retrieved August 20, 2015, from http://issues.org/18-3/p_bruckner/
Pemberton, R. W. (1999). Insects and other arthropods used as drugs in Korean traditional medicine. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 65(3), 207-216.
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