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Updated: Oct 13, 2026

Platelet-based Detection of Nitric Oxide in Blood by Measuring VASP Phosphorylation
Published on: January 7, 2019
The antiplatelet activity of tetramethylpyrazine is mediated through activation of NO synthase
1Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences & Department of Pharmacology, Taipei Medical College, Taiwan. sheujr@tmc.edu.tw
Abstract:
Tetramethylpyrazine (TMPZ) is an active ingredient of a Chinese herbal medicine (Ligusticum wallichii Franchat). In this study, TMPZ (50-200 microM) significantly increased production of nitrate and cyclic GMP in human platelets within a 15-min incubation period. TMPZ concentration-dependently inhibited intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in human platelets stimulated by collagen (5 microg/ml). Furthermore, TMPZ concentration (50 and 200 microM)- and time (15 and 30 min)-dependently triggered endothelial-type constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) protein expression in human platelets. These results indicated that TMPZ at micromolar concentrations stimulated nitric oxide production in human platelets via a novel mechanism that activated ecNOS protein expression.
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