Evaluation of thrombolytic properties of Nigella sativa, Capsicum frutescens and Brassica oleracea

Abstract

Thrombolytic drugs are widely used for the management of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis patients. Several in vitro models have been developed to study clot lysis activity of thrombolytic drugs, but all of these have certain limitations. The present study was carried out to investigate the thrombolytic activity, synergistic activity on thrombolysis in the aqueous extract of fruits of Nigella sativa, Capsicum frutescens, Brassica oleracea. An in vitro thrombolytic method was used to investigate the thrombolytic activity of plant extracts in blood sample from healthy human volunteers, along with streptokinase as a positive control and water as a negative control. Same method was also applied to assess the synergistic activity of plant extracts with streptokinase. Aqueous extract of Nigella sativa, Capsicum frutescens, Brassica oleracea showed 40.65%, 36.93%, 57.03% thrombolytic activity and also showed 60.46%, 80.00%, 72.50% synergistic activity with streptokinase respectively. Among the plant extracts studied Capsicum frutescens showed significant % of synergistic activity (80%) with compared to other plant extracts. The present study demonstrates that Capsicum frutescens extract showed synergistic activity with streptokinase on thrombolysis. Isolation and purification of the compound responsible for synergistic activity would be one of the best sources of herbal drugs for atherothrombotic diseases.