Abstract
BackgroundThe Rumex acetosa has been used in medicinal treatment, food technology and phytotherapeutics in Eastern Asia and many other countries. However, its effect on cardiovascular system and antiplatelet activity remained to be known. In this study, we examined the antiplatelet activity of R. acetosa in detailed manner to understand underlying mechanism.MethodsTo study this, whole blood was obtained from male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and aggregation of washed platelets measured using light transmission aggregometry. Intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured using Fura-2/AM while ATP release evaluated by luminometer. Activation of integrin αIIbβ3 analyzed by flow cytometry and clot retraction. Furthermore, we studied the signaling pathways mediated by R. acetosa extract by western blot analysis.ResultsR. acetosa extract markedly inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and ATP release in a dose-dependent manner. It also suppressed [Ca2+]i mobilization, integrin αIIbβ3 activation and clot retraction. The extract significantly attenuated phosphorylation of the MAPK pathway (i.e., ERK1/2, JNK), MKK4, PI3K/Akt, and Src family kinase.ConclusionTaken together, this data suggests that R. acetosa extract exhibits anti-platelet activity via modulating MAPK, PI3K/Akt pathways, and integrin αIIbβ3-mediated inside-out and outside-in signaling, and it may protect against the development of platelet-related cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
The Rumex acetosa has been used in medicinal treatment, food technology and phytotherapeutics in Eastern Asia and many other countries
Effect of R. acetosa extract on collagen-induced platelet aggregation Our result showed that R. acetosa extract strongly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen in dose dependent manner (Fig. 2a-b)
R. acetosa extract markedly reduced [Ca2+]i mobilization and granule secretion We found that pretreatment of platelets with R. acetosa extract markedly reduced the elevation in [Ca2+]i in collagen stimulated platelets in a dose-dependent manner (Fig. 3a)
Summary
The Rumex acetosa has been used in medicinal treatment, food technology and phytotherapeutics in Eastern Asia and many other countries. Its effect on cardiovascular system and antiplatelet activity remained to be known. We examined the antiplatelet activity of R. acetosa in detailed manner to understand underlying mechanism. World Health Organization (WHO) disclosed (EURO/ 03/06) that cardiovascular disease (CVD) reveal the highest mortality among all diseases in western world. WHO has stated that CVD accounted for 30% of all the deaths that occurred in 2005. In Europe, CVD remains the primary cause of death accounting for 42% of mortalities in men and 52% of deaths in women [1,2,3]. In our effort to discover complementary materials, we found Rumex acetosa L, a natural product known to have ethnomedicinal properties.
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