Agonist-dependent differential effects of berberine in human platelet aggregation
✍ Scribed by Bukhtiar H. Shah; Z. Nawaz; S. A. Saeed; A. H. Gilani
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 132 KB
- Volume
- 12
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0951-418X
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✦ Synopsis
This study was conducted to investigate the antiplatelet effects of berberine, an alkaloid found in Berberis aristata and some other plants. Platelet rich plasma, prepared from blood of normal human volunteers, was treated with varying concentrations of berberine, and the platelet aggregation in response to various agonists was measured by a Lumi-aggregometer. The results show that berberine selectively inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen (638 nM) in a dose-dependent manner (1-100 mM). In contrast, low doses of berberine (up to 30 mM) potentiated the ADP (4 mM)-induced aggregation. The aggregation induced by other platelet agonists, AA (1.7 mM), adrenaline (20 mM), calcium ionophore, A23187 (1 mM) and PAF (800 nM) was not affected by berberine at a dose range of 1-100 mM. These results are indicative that berberine selectively inhibits collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Since berberine was unable to inhibit the aggregation mediated by activation of thromboxane A 2 , increase in calcium influx, or stimulation of G-protein linked pathways, it is likely that berberine selectively inhibits platelet aggregation by interfering with the collagen-mediated adhesion process.