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Planta Med 2001; 67(7): 619-622
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-17361
Original Paper
Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Anti-Thrombotic Effects of Higenamine

Hye Sook Yun-Choi1,*, Mi Kyung Pyo1 , Kyung Mi Park1 , Ki Churl Chang2 , Duck Hyung Lee3
  • 1 Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
  • 2 Department of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Research Institute, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju, Korea
  • 3 Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea
Further Information

Publication History

September 29, 2000

January 6, 2001

Publication Date:
24 September 2001 (online)

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Abstract

The anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic effects of higenamine, a benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid of the roots of Aconitum japonicum (Ranunculaceae), were investigated. The degree of platelet aggregation was measured with platelet rich plasma (PRP). An acute thrombotic condition was induced in mice by the injection of the mixture of collagen and epinephrine. The thrombus formation was induced inside the arterio-venous shunt tube installed between an abdominal aorta and the renal vein of rats. Higenamine showed inhibitory activities to both human and rat platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen and epinephrine. It was more inhibitory to epinephrine induced aggregation (IC50; 19 and 7.2 uM to human and rat platelets respectively) than ADP- or collagen-induced aggregation. The anti-thrombotic effects of higenamine were also observed in both mouse acute thrombosis model and rat arterio-venous shunt (AV-shunt) models. The oral administration of higenamine (50 or 100 mg/kg) increased the recovery rates from the acute thrombotic challenge in mice and lowered the weight of thrombus formed inside the AV-shunt tube in rats.

Key words

Higenamine - benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline - Aconitum japonicum - Ranunculaceae - anti-platelet - anti-thrombotic

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Hye Sook Yun-Choi

Natural Products Research Institute

Seoul National University

Seoul 110-460

Korea

Email: hsyun@snu.ac.kr

Fax: +82-2-742-9951

Phone: Tel. +82-2-740-8901