Dragon's Blood extract has antithrombotic properties, affecting platelet aggregation functions and anticoagulation activities

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Dragon''s Blood from Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C. Chen (Yunnan, China), as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, was shown to have certain antithrombotic effects. A new preparation process was used to extract effective components from Dragon''s Blood. A 95% ethanol extract A (EA) and a precipitate B (PB) fraction were obtained and compared. Reliability of the preparation process was validated by pharmacodynamic experiments. Materials and methods: A rat/mouse thrombosis and blood stasis model was developed for this study, and EA and PB effects on thrombosis, platelet functions and blood coagulation activities were analyzed. Results: It was observed that the EA fraction had significantly better inhibitory effects than the PB fraction on thrombosis (p <0.05), platelet aggregation function (p <0.01) and anticoagulation activity (p <0.05–0.01). Conclusions: The results obtained here showed that EA fraction from Dragon''s Blood contained pharmacologically effective compounds with antithrombotic effects, partially improving platelet function and anticoagulation activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]