Antithrombotic Activity of Extracts from the Aromatic Herb Elsholtzia splendens

Elsholtzia splendens, which grows on moist soil of mountainous regions, is widely distributed at all regions of Korea, especially at Mountain Ji ri. It is categorized as a Labiatae plant which is dried aerial part. It has the following medicinal properties; removal of fever, alleviation of pain, a good antiphlogistic agent as well as antibacterial effects. However, the effects of E. splendens on thrombosis and platelet activation are not precisely understood. We performed this study to develop antithrombotic agents from oriental medicine herb extracts. E. splendens inhibited platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and U46619 in a concentration dependent manner. E. splendens did not show an effect on anticoagulation as determined by prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). We also tested the effects of E. splendens using a carotid artery thrombosis rat model induced by 35% $FeCl_3$ treatment. E. splendens significantly inhibited thrombus weight compared with the control group. These results show that E. splendens may be developed as a potential antiplatelet activity agent for treatment of cardiocerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis.