Evaluation of the in vitro effect of ethanolic extract of broadleaf plantain (Plantago major L.) seeds on the blood coagulation process

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major L.) is a herbaceous wild plant of the Plantaginaceae family with 10 to 45 cm in height and without stems. It grows in a wide area of Europe and Asia continents, as well as North Africa and North America, and in Iran almost everywhere. The seeds of the plant stop bleeding and are known as a plant source that plays an important role in at least one of the coagulation pathways. Therefore, this study was designed and implemented to evaluate the in vitro effect of ethanolic extract of broadleaf plantain seeds on human coagulation tests. The broadleaf plantain seeds were ground in a mortar and extracted in ethanol 80% for 48 hours. Extracts were dealcoholized by a rotary evaporator at 50 °C and the remaining water was removed from the oven at 40°C. The obtained plant dry extract was prepared in different concentrations in Owren-Koller bufferand their effects on coagulation indices including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and clotting time (CT) were evaluated and the results were analyzed by t-test. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of broadleaf plantain seeds reduced APTT, but had no significant effect on PT and CT. Although the ethanolic extract of broadleaf plantain seeds showed the coagulation effect in this study, further studies on animal and human models seem necessary.