Antiplatelet effects of piplartine,an alkamide isolated from Piper tuberculatum: possible involvement of cyclooxygenase blockade and antioxidant activity

Objectives Piplartine (piperlongumine; 5,6‐dihydro‐1‐1‐oxo‐3‐(3,4,5‐trimethoxyphenyl]‐2(1H) pyridinone) is an alkaloid amide isolated from Piper species (Piperaceae). It has been reported to show multiple pharmacological activities in vitro and in vivo. Methods We evaluated the in‐vitro antiplatelet effect of piplartine isolated from the roots of P. tuberculatum, on human platelet aggregation induced in platelet‐rich plasma by the agonists collagen, adenosine 5′‐diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid (AA) and thrombin. Key findings Piplartine (100μg/ml) caused a 30% inhibition in platelet aggregation when collagen was the agonist. At 200 μg/ml, piplartine significantly inhibited the aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (100%), collagen (59%) or ADP (52%) but not that induced by thrombin. The highest concentration of piplartine (300 μg/ml) inhibited thrombin‐ (37%), ADP‐ (71%) and collagen‐ (98%) induced aggregation. The inhibitory effect of piplartine on ADP‐induced platelet aggregation was not modified by pretreatment with pentoxifylline (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor), l ‐arginine (a substrate for nitric oxide synthase) or ticlopidine (a P2Y₁₂ purinoceptor antagonist). However, aspirin, a well‐known inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, greatly increased the inhibitory effect of piplartine on arachidonic‐acid‐induced platelet aggregation. Conclusions The mechanism underlying the piplartine antiplatelet action is not totally clarified. It could be related to the inhibition of cyclooxgenase activity and a decrease in thromboxane A₂ formation, similar to that occurring with aspirin. This and other possible mechanisms require further study.