Natural active herbal monomers for the treatment of thromboembolic diseases: a review

Thromboembolism is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current methods of treating thromboembolism include anticoagulant therapy, thrombolytic therapy, and surgical removal of the thrombus. All of these treatments have some drawbacks, such as an increased risk of bleeding, limitation to fresh thrombus, and a high recurrence rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find effective and safe drugs for the treatment of thromboembolism. In recent years, it has been found that many natural active herbal monomers exhibit distinct advantages in treating this condition. In this review, the therapeutic effects of effective active monomers from natural herbs on thromboembolism, including flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and organic acids, were described. Furthermore, their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of platelet aggregation and antithrombotic effects through nuclear factor NF-κB, ERK1/2, PI3K, Akt and other signaling pathways were systematically summarized. Altogether, this review provides a comprehensive summary of promising therapeutic candidate drugs for the treatment of thromboembolic diseases and aims to guide future preclinical and clinical research for novel, safe and effective antithrombotic therapies.