Excess sulfate supply and onion‐induced human antiplatelet activity

Awareness is growing of health‐promoting functional foods and the use of various plants as nutraceuticals. Due to a suite of organosulfur compounds, onion, and other vegetable Alliums possess a unique antiplatelet effect that may promote cardiovascular health because aggregating platelets can lead to heart attack and stroke. Investigation of the consequences of S nutrition in onion has primarily focused on levels of S ranging from deficiency to just above sufficiency; however, little work has been conducted to examine the effects of supraoptimal S nutrition on organosulfur‐based traits. Four onion selections were grown in hydroponic solutions with 2, 7, and 12 mM SO 4 2— ‐S in greenhouse experiments during 1995—1996 and 1996—1997. Onion plants were separated into root, leaf, and bulb portions and analyzed for mineral content. Onion bulb extracts were assayed for in vitro human antiplatelet activity. Bulb and leaf S were not affected by increasing solution culture S, but root S was increased by 98 % when solution culture S was increased from 2 mM to 12 mM. Similar increases in root Ca and Al were detected, suggesting CaSO 4 and AlSO 4 + were accumulated in and on the root. No directional change in antiplatelet activity was detected as S was increased from 2 to 12 mM. This lack of significant change in antiplatelet activity with increasing S levels suggests that modification of this trait by simply increasing S levels may not be feasible in a solution culture environment.