Effect of six steroidal saponins isolated from anemarrhenae rhizoma on platelet aggregation and hemolysis in human blood

Six steroidal saponins were isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge ( Liliaceae), a traditional chinese medicine, and named anemarrhenasaponin I (An-I), anemarrhenasaponin Ia (An-Ia), timosaponin B-I (TB-I), timosaponin B-II (TB-LT), timosaponin B-III (TB-UI), and timosaponin A-Iii (TA-III). Th e effects of these six compounds on platelet aggregation and hemolysis in h uman blood were studied. All these compounds provoked remarkable inhibiting effect on platelet aggregation, and activated partial thromboplastin times (APTT) are sensitive to the presence of these six compounds. Using an in v itro system, APTT was delayed with the increment of the concentrations of t hese six compounds. In these six compounds, only timosaponin A-III appeared a strong effect on hemolysis, and anemarrhenasaponin Ia had a slight effec t on hemolysis, other had no effect on hemolysis. These results suggested t hat these steroidal saponins isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Liliaceae) might be used as a novel antithrombotic therapeutic agents in p ost-myocardial infarction. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.