Antiplatelet and antithrombotic activity of indole‐3‐carbinol in vitro and in vivo

Indole‐3‐carbinol, a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables, is known to have anticancer activity. In the present study, the antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities of indole‐3‐carbinol were investigated in vitro and in vivo . Indole‐3‐carbinol significantly inhibited collagen‐induced platelet aggregation in human platelet rich plasma (PRP) in a concentration‐dependent manner. Indole‐3‐carbinol significantly inhibited fibrinogen binding to the platelet surface glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GP IIb/IIIa) receptor by flow cytometric analysis. In addition, the levels of thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2 ) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) in collagen stimulated PRP were significantly inhibited in a concentration‐dependent manner by indole‐3‐carbinol. Furthermore, indole‐3‐carbinol dose‐dependently suppressed the death of mice with pulmonary thrombosis induced by intravenous injection of collagen and epinephrine. These results suggest that indole‐3‐carbinol can be a potent antithrombotic agent with antiplatelet activity through the inhibition of GP IIb/IIIa receptor and thromboxane B 2 formation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.