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

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. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.