Terpene-Strengthened Ginkgo biloba Extract as a Platelet-Activating Factor Antagonist

Since platelet-activating factor (PAF) is involved in inflammation, allergic response and anaphylactic shock, PAF receptor antagonists may have potential for controlling these disease conditions. The extract of the leaves of Ginkgo biloba having a higher content of terpenoids (12%) with flavonoids (24%) (YY1224) was prepared in order to obtain the increasing PAF antagonistic activity. As expected, YY1224 showed a higher PAF antagonistic binding affinity ($IC_{50}\;=\;0.09\;{\mu}g/ml$) using $[^3H]PAF$ and rabbit platelets as ligand and receptor source, compared with an $IC_{50}$ of $>\;100\;{\mu}g/ml$ by Egb 761, a standardized extract. YY1224 also showed a higher inhibitory activity against PAF-induced platelet aggregation and NO production from lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, it protected PAF-induced death in mice by oral administration at 15 mg/kg. All these results suggest that YY1224 may show favorable effects on PAF-related disorders.