OBJECTIVE

2

To investigate the effects and mechanism of Danshen decoction influencing platelet physiological characteristics and function in hyperlipidemia model rats based on platelet membrane glycoprotein 4 （CD36）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway.

METHODS

2

The hyperlipidemia model rats were induced by feeding high-fat diet， and then randomly divided into model group， simvastatin group （0.004 g/kg）， Danshen decoction high-dose and low-dose groups （3.6， 0.9 g/kg）， and blank group （fed with basic feed）， with 10 rats in each group. Rats in each administration group were intragastrically administered with corresponding drugs every day， and the other groups were intragastrically administered with equal volume of normal saline for 4 weeks. After the last administration， the contents of blood lipid biochemical indexes [total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）]

， whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity and fibrinogen （FIB） content in plasma， platelet-related parameters [platelet count （PLT）， platelet distribution width （PDW） and mean platelet volume （MPV）] were detected. The levels of platelet physiological characteristics and function-related factors [von Willebrand factor （vWF）， fibronectin （Fn）， phospholipase A2 （PLA2）， thromboxane B2 （TXB2）， 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α （6-keto-PGF1α）， thromboxane A2 （TXA2）， prostaglandin I2 （PGI2）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP），

β

-thromboglobulin （

β

-TG）]， platelet aggregation rate （maximum aggregation rate， 60 s aggregation rate， 180 s aggregation rate） and fibrinolytic system-related factors [tissue plasminogen activator （t-PA）， plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 （PAI-1）]

and the expressions of CD36/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins [CD36， focal adhesion kinase （FAK）， phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase （PIP5K）， PI3K， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， p-Akt1/2/3] in platelet were all determined.

RESULTS

2

Compared with blank group， the contents of TC， TG and LDL-C in plasma， whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity， the plasma levels of FIB， PLT， MPV， vWF， Fn， PLA2， TXB2， TXA2， cGMP and

β

-TG， maximum platelet aggregation rate， 60 s aggregation rate， the expressions of PAI-1 in plasma， protein expressions of CD36， FAK， PIP5K， PI3K， p-Akt and p-Akt1/2/3 were significantly increased in the model group （

P

＜0.05）. The content of HDL-C and the levels of 6-keto-PGF1α， PGI2 and t-PA were significantly decreased （

P

＜0.05）. After the intervention of Danshen decoction， most of the above indexes were significantly reversed （

P

＜0.05）.

CONCLUSIONS

2

Danshen decoction can improve the physiological characteristics and function of platelets in hyperlipidemia model rats， and its mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of CD36/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activity and the reduction of platelet activation.