In:
Pharmacology, S. Karger AG, Vol. 83, No. 4 ( 2009), p. 197-204
Abstract:
〈 i 〉 Objectives: 〈 /i 〉 Garlic 〈 i 〉 (Allium sativum) 〈 /i 〉 has a well-established reputation as a protective agent against cardiovascular disease, while nearly nothing is known about its cousin 〈 i 〉 Allium ursinum 〈 /i 〉 . The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiaggregatory mechanism of garlic and to compare the effects of 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 and 〈 i 〉 A. sativum 〈 /i 〉 . 〈 i 〉 Methods: 〈 /i 〉 In a prospective study, extracts were prepared from 〈 i 〉 A. sativum 〈 /i 〉 powder made from fresh 〈 i 〉 A. sativum 〈 /i 〉 bulbs and fresh 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 leaves by maceration. The extracts were characterized by thin layer chromatography. Their in vitro effects on human platelet aggregation were examined by light transmission aggregometry after induction by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen, A23187, epinephrine and arachidonic acid (ARA) in platelets from healthy volunteers. 〈 i 〉 Results: 〈 /i 〉 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 and 〈 i 〉 A. sativum 〈 /i 〉 exert similar antiaggregatory effects: they inhibit platelet aggregation induced via the ADP pathway and to a lesser extent aggregation induced by epinephrine, whereas ARA-, collagen- and A23187-induced aggregation was not affected. It became clear that the alcoholic extract of 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 is the potent form, while the aqueous extract exerted an unspecific activity. The effects were strictly dose related. 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 and 〈 i 〉 A. sativum 〈 /i 〉 extracts exhibited similar potencies. 〈 i 〉 Conclusion: 〈 /i 〉 Both 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 and A. 〈 i 〉 sativum 〈 /i 〉 exert antiaggregatory effects. Garlic extracts are acting by inhibition of the ADP pathway; their mechanisms of action are comparable to that of the clinically used drug clopidogrel. The pharmacologically active component of the extracts appears to be lipophilic rather than hydrophilic, but the precise chemical substance is still unknown. This is the first report on the antiplatelet activity of 〈 i 〉 A. ursinum 〈 /i 〉 .
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0031-7012
,
1423-0313
Language:
English
Publisher:
S. Karger AG
Publication Date:
2009
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1483550-2
SSG:
15,3
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