Salvianolic acid B inhibits thrombosis and directly blocks the thrombin catalytic site.

Background: Salvianolic acid B (SAB) is a major component of Salvia miltiorrhiza root (Danshen), widely used in East/Southeast Asia for centuries to treat cardiovascular diseases. Danshen depside salt, 85% of which is made up of SAB, is approved in China to treat chronic angina. Although clinical observations suggest that Danshen extracts inhibited arterial and venous thrombosis, the exact mechanism has not been adequately elucidated. Objective: To delineate the antithrombotic mechanisms of SAB. Methods: We applied platelet aggregation and coagulation assays, perfusion chambers, and intravital microscopy models. The inhibition kinetics and binding affinity of SAB to thrombin are measured by thrombin enzymatic assays, intrinsic fluorescence spectrophotometry, and isothermal titration calorimetry. We used molecular in silico docking models to predict the interactions of SAB with thrombin. Results: SAB dose-dependently inhibited platelet activation and aggregation induced by thrombin. SAB also reduced platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate and collagen. SAB attenuated blood coagulation by modifying fibrin network structures and significantly decreased thrombus formation in mouse cremaster arterioles and perfusion chambers. The direct SAB-thrombin interaction was confirmed by enzymatic assays, intrinsic fluorescence spectrophotometry, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Interestingly, SAB shares key structural similarities with the trisubstituted benzimidazole class of thrombin inhibitors, such as dabigatran. Molecular docking models predicted the binding of SAB to the thrombin active site. Conclusion: Our data established SAB as the first herb-derived direct thrombin catalytic site inhibitor, suppressing thrombosis through both thrombin-dependent and thrombin-independent pathways. Purified SAB may be a cost-effective agent for treating arterial and deep vein thrombosis.

Apolipoprotein A-IV polymorphisms Q360H and T347S attenuate its endogenous inhibition of thrombosis.

Platelets are small anucleate cells that play a key role in thrombosis and hemostasis. Our group previously identified apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) as an endogenous inhibitor of thrombosis by competitive blockade of the αIIbß3 integrin on platelets. ApoA-IV inhibition of platelets was dependent on the N-terminal D5/D13 residues, and enhanced with absence of the C-terminus, suggesting it sterically hinders its N-terminal platelet binding site. The C-terminus is also the site of common apoA-IV polymorphisms apoA-IV-1a (T347S) and apoA-IV-2 (Q360H). Interestingly, both are linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we generated recombinant apoA-IV and found that the Q360H or T347S polymorphisms dampened its inhibition of platelet aggregation in human platelet-rich plasma and gel-filtered platelets, reduced its inhibition of platelet spreading, and its inhibition of P-selectin on activated platelets. Using an ex vivo thrombosis assay, we found that Q360H and T347S attenuated its inhibition of thrombosis at both high (1800s-1) and low (300s-1) shear rates. We then demonstrate a conserved monomer-dimer distribution among apoA-IV WT, Q360H, and T347S and use protein structure modelling software to show Q360H and T347S enhance C-terminal steric hindrance over the N-terminal platelet-binding site. These data provide critical insight into increased cardiovascular risk for individuals with Q360H or T347S polymorphisms.