Antiplatelet and antithrombotic effect of Phyllostachys pubescens leaves and Mume fructus combination

Agent currently used for the treatment and prevention of thrombosis have a number of side effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ethanol extracts of Phyllostachys pubescens leaf, Mume fructus, and their combined preparations, on platelet aggregation in vitro and on rat arterio-venous (AV) shunt thrombosis in vivo.

The 80% (v/v) ethanol extracts of Phyllostachys pubescens leaf (PL), Mume fructus (MF), and their combinations [2:1 (PM21), 1:1 (PM11), and 1:2 (PM12)] were evaluated in ADP-induced rat platelets in vitro. At 100 µg/ml, PM21 and PM11 inhibited in vitro ADP-induced aggregation by 44.0 ± 4.3% and 30.0 ± 3.2%, respectively, whereas PL, MF and PM12 weakly or scarcely inhibited ADP-induced aggregation by 3.9 ± 3.2%, 13.0 ± 2.7% and 5.2 ± 1.3%, respectively. The IC₅₀ values of PM21 on ADP-, collagen- and thrombin-induced platelet aggregations were 135.6 ± 7.4 µg/ml, 142.7 ± 5.8 µg/ml and 186.5 ± 9.7 µg/ml, respectively. In an in vivo rat AV-shunt thrombosis model, the thrombus weight was significantly decreased after oral administration of a 400 mg/kg dose of PL (27.8 ± 3.0%, p< 0.01) or MF (35.2 ± 2.1%, p< 0.01), while that after administration of a 5 mg/kg of Riv (Rivarosaban), used as a positive control, were significantly decreased (61.7 ± 1.9%, p< 0.001), and with a good accord to the in vitro results, the combination of PL and MF in the ratio of 2:1, PM21 (60.9 ± 1.2%, p< 0.001), showed a superior anti-thrombotic effect to those of individual extracts. At dosages of 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg, PM21 dose-dependently decreased thrombosis weight (ED50, 314 mg/kg). These results suggest that combinational preparations of PL and MF, and especially their 2:1 combination, can increase antiplatelet and anti-thrombosis effects more than PL and MF alone, offering evidence for a potential novel combination anti-thrombic therapy.

Fig. 1