Effect of allicin (diallyl disulfide-oxide) on prostaglandin endoperoxide H/sub 2/ (PGH/sub 2/) and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism and platelet aggregation

The authors report here the effects of pure allicin (the antibacterial component of GO), synthesized from diallyl disulfide and hydrogen peroxide, on human platelet aggregation, PGH/sub 2/ metabolism in microsomes of bovine lung (BL) and bovine coronary artery (BCA), homogenates of human platelet (HP), and on AA metabolism in HP. Allicin at 16 ..mu..g/ml to 160 ..mu..g/ml produced concentration-dependent inhibition of platelet aggregation to 1.6 mM AA and 2.8 ..mu..M U 46619, a stable analog of PGH/sub 2/ and a TXA/sub 2/ minic. BL (200 ..mu..g protein), BCA (10 ..mu..g protein), and HP (1500 ..mu..g protein) were incubated with 10 ..mu..M (/sup 14/C) PGH/sub 2/ +/- allicin. HP (1500 ..mu..g protein) were incubated with 20 ..mu..M (/sup 14/C) AA +/- allicin. Products were separated by TLC and quantified by radiochromatographic scan. Allicin in the concentration range of 10-/sup 6/M-10-/sup 3/M induced no change in the formation of prostacyclin by BL and BCA or of TXA/sub 2/ by BL and HP. These data suggest that the platelet antiaggregatory action of allicin is not due to inhibition of cyclooxygenase or TXA/sub 2/ synthetase in the human platelet, but may be related to interactions at the TXA/sub 2/ receptor or on cyclic nucleotidemore » levels.« less