Effect on platelet aggregation activity: extracts from 31 Traditional Chinese Medicines with the property of activating blood and resolving stasis

Abstract OBJECTIVE To evaluate the anti-platelet aggregation effects of extracts from 31 Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) with the property of activating blood and resolving stasis in terms of TCM theory. METHODS The 31 TCMs extracts were prepared using water, 90% ethanol and ethyl acetate., and the effects on anti-platelet aggregation were tested on a platelet aggregation analyzer in vitro with adenosine 5'-diphosphate, bovine thrombin and arachidonic acid (AA) as aggregation inducers, respectively. Aspirin was the positive control. RESULTS Lots of the tested TCMs had inhibitory effects with concentration-dependent manner on platelet aggregations induced by various agonists. Especially, some of the TCMs such as Chuanxiong ( Rhizoma Chuanxiong ), Yanhusuo ( Rhizoma Corydalis Yanhusuo ) and Danshen ( Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae ) showed good anti-platelet aggregation effect similar or higher than that in positive control group. CONCLUSION The study provided scientific references that several TCMs such as Chuanxiong ( Rhizoma Chuanxiong ), Yanhusuo ( Rhizoma Corydalis Yanhusuo ) and Danshen ( Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae ), possess the property of anti-platelet aggregation.