Evaluation of the potential anticoagulant properties of medicinal plants’ extracts

Plant-derived phenolics are widely recognized for their therapeutic properties. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate medicinal plant extracts' anticoagulant activities to develop a safe and effective strategy for controlling thrombotic disorders. Total phenolic content (TPC) from 120 dried powders of different medicinal plants purchased from the local market of Pune, India, were extracted separately in 70% ethanol. Their contents were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Anticoagulant activity was initially assessed using the clotting time (CT) assay. The highest phenolic content (8.3 mg/mL) was estimated in Woodfordia fruticosa flower. Out of 120 plant extracts, 47 exhibited anticoagulant activities with a significant prolongation of clotting time (CT) (More than control time i. e. 8 min). From these plant extracts, 36, 29 and 21 plants showed anticoagulant activities performed by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT) tests, respectively. The plant extracts from W. fruticosa flower, Terminalia chebula fruit, Punica granatum peel, Tecoma undulata bark, Tedrminalia bellirica fruit, Zingiber officinale rhizome, and Curcuma zedoaria rhizome exhibited prominent anticoagulant activities with a significant prolongation of CT, APTT, PT and TT tests. Linear regression revealed a weak positive correlation between plant phenolic concentrations and anticoagulant activities, as evaluated by CT, APTT, PT and TT tests. ANOVA test showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in the anticoagulant activities of the plant phenolics. The plant extracts showing very high anticoagulant activity could be useful for preparing herbal drugs to control thrombotic disorders.