It is an ancient marine animal that dates back 450 million years. They belong to the family of swordtail horseshoe crab invertebrates and are known as "living fossils" because of their physical resemblance to the fossils of horseshoe crabs that appeared on Earth in the early days. Horseshoe crabs are larger, up to 60 cm in length (including tail length), weigh 3-5 kg, and have a stiff exoskeleton and horseshoe-shaped dorsal carapace, so they are often also called "horseshoe crabs".
The shell of the horseshoe crab is horseshoe-shaped, with two compound eyes and two common eyes on the back of the shell. They have five pairs of legs, the first four are walking limbs, and the fifth pair is swimming legs, with folded page-like gills at the back of the body. The blood of horseshoe crabs is very special, it is blue, and it contains only one type of amoebocyte. When bacteria invade, this cell gradually solidifies, which is a sign of cell death. This particular blood property makes horseshoe crabs highly valued in scientific research.
It is worth mentioning that the blood of horseshoe crabs has a very important application in scientific research. The special cells in the horseshoe crab blood can respond quickly to bacterial invasion, a property that allowed scientists to use the horseshoe crab blood to develop a special medical test reagent called the "horseshoe crab reagent". This reagent is widely used to detect endotoxins in pharmaceuticals and provide protection for people's lives and health.
The reason why horseshoe crabs can be used to study cancer, mainly because it contains a special type of prothrombin in its blood. This prothrombin coagulates rapidly when it encounters bacterial toxins, producing a white precipitate. This property allows scientists to use LAL serum to detect cancer cells in the blood of cancer patients.
When LAL serum comes into contact with the blood of a cancer patient, they release specific substances if cancer cells are present in the blood. These substances react with prothrombin in horseshoe crab serum, causing the blood to clot and produce a white precipitate. By observing and detecting this clotting phenomenon, scientists can determine whether cancer cells are present in the blood, enabling early diagnosis and** of cancer.
However, despite their high scientific value, the prospects for their survival are not encouraging. Horseshoe crabs continue to face unabated fishing demand, and economic activity in coastal areas has wreaked havoc on their habitats. So, despite being one of the few remaining "fossil" species on Earth, and the International Horseshoe Crab Conservation Day is celebrated on 20 June every year, their survival still needs more attention and protection.
The horseshoe crab has copper ions in its blood, which appears blue when combined with proteins, so the blood of the horseshoe crab is blue. This blue blood forms a sticky diaphragm that seals the bacteria when the horseshoe crab is injured or attacked by germs, thus preventing the germs from spreading through the horseshoe crab's body. In addition, the blood of horseshoe crabs is also of great scientific value, which can be used to detect the presence of late lesions caused by bacterial infection in the internal tissues of the human body.
Medicinal value: The horseshoe crab has a blue blood color and contains copper ions, which can accurately and quickly detect bacterial infections in the internal tissues of the human body, which makes the horseshoe crab an important application in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In addition, the shell of the horseshoe crab can also be refined into medicinal herbs, which are said to be able to ** hyperthyroidism and other diseases. In ancient China, horseshoe crab was also used as a traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, invigorating blood and removing stasis. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", after washing and drying, horseshoe crab can be used for symptoms such as sore throat and coughing up blood for tuberculosis.
Edible value: The meat of horseshoe crab is delicious, high in protein, and rich in essential minerals such as copper, iron, zinc, calcium, etc., which can supplement the body's nutrition and enhance physical fitness. In the southeast coast of our country and other places, there has always been the habit of eating horseshoe crabs, from barbecue to soup, there are many types.
Overall, horseshoe crabs are an ancient and unique marine animal that is not only of great scientific value, but also an integral part of the ecosystem. Horseshoe crabs have no natural predators, but their survival prospects are not optimistic, and the emergence of humans has led to the current endangered species.