Platelet anti-aggregant property of some Moroccan medicinal plants

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 94; no. 2; pp. 317 - 322
• Main Authors: Mekhfi, Hassane, Haouari, Mohammed El, Legssyer, Abdelkhaleq, Bnouham, Mohammed, Aziz, Mohammed, Atmani, Fouad, Remmal, Adnane, Ziyyat, Abderrahim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-10-2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: ADP; Animals; bioactive properties; Biological and medical sciences; blood platelets; Cardiovascular diseases; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; General pharmacology; Medical sciences; Medicinal plants; Morocco; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Components, Aerial; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal; Platelet aggregation; Platelet Aggregation - drug effects; Platelet Aggregation - physiology; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors - isolation & purification; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Thrombin; traditional medicine; Morocco; Africa; Medicinal plants; Rats; Thrombin; Platelet aggregation; Cardiovascular diseases; ADP; Serine endopeptidases; Hemostatic; Rat; Enzyme; Pharmacognosy; Rodentia; Cardiovascular disease; Medicinal plant; Peptidases; Vertebrata; Platelet; Mammalia; Animal; Plant origin; Hydrolases
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2004.06.005

It is known that blood platelets may present some dysfunction linked to cardiovascular pathologies such as arterial hypertension. The aim of this work is to examine the in vitro anti-aggregant effect of five medicinal plants among which three were reported as antihypertensive in oriental Morocco:
Arbutus unedo (Ericaceae),
Urtica dioı̈ca (Urticaceae), and
Petroselinum crispum (Apiaceae). The two other plants were
Cistus ladaniferus (Cistaceae) and
Equisetum arvense (Equisetaceae). The results obtained showed that all extracts produced a dose-dependent inhibition of thrombin and ADP-induced aggregation. The calculated IC
50 (half-maximal inhibition of thrombin and ADP-induced aggregation) was found to be identical in all plant extracts while
Urtica dioı̈ca had a higher IC
50 value. The effect of plants could be related in part to the polyphenolic compounds present in their extracts suggesting their involvement in the treatment or prevention of platelet aggregation complications linked to cardiovascular diseases. Phytochemical separation must be carried out to identify the active principles responsible for the anti-aggregant effect and elucidate their mechanisms of action.