Antiplatelet activity of coriander and curry leaf spices

Abstract

Thrombosis, an important event in cardiovascular diseases, can be fatal if platelet aggregation takes place in the narrowed lumen of arteries, causing an impairment of blood flow to the heart. Attempts have been made to study the antiplatelet activity of leaf spice extracts, as these are rich sources of natural antioxidants. Aqueous extracts of coriander leaf and curry leaf were tested on human platelets over a wide range of concentrations with agonists like adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (61 μM), epinephrine (76 μM), and collagen (0.005% in 0.1 N acetic acid). Both these leaf spice extracts inhibited human platelet aggregation. The IC50 values were 0.94, 0.65, and 0.58mg for curry leaf and 0.55, 0.66, and 0.57mg for coriander leaf with ADP, epinephrine, and collagen, respectively. A decrease in the malondialdehyde formed was used as a mechanism for accessing the function of the cyclooxygenase pathway in arachidonic acid metabolism at IC50 values of these extracts. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd.