Aromatic factors of anti-platelet aggregation in fennel oil.

In order to develop an ideal drug against arteriosclerosis, we tried to find anti-platelet aggregation factors in fennel oil among conventional essential oils: the reason for the investigation was that anethole, the main constituent of fennel oil, resembled eugenol, which was described as having both anti-bacterial and anti-platelet activities. Fennel oil, its constituents and related compounds were examined to find those that would inhibit aggregation of rabbit platelets induced by ADP, collagen or arachidonic acid. Fennel oil, anethole and estragole were proved to be good inhibitors, as effective as aspirin, against platelet aggregation with three types of inducers while p-anisidine was effective on two types. Judging from these experiments and review, we concluded that anethole was the main inhibitor in the fennel oil against platelet aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]