• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.171-178
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• 2023

Morus alba, a popular medicinal plant belonging to the family Moraceae, has long been used commonly in traditional medicine and has various physiological activities, including antidiabetic, anti-microbial, diuretic, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer activities. Morusinol was isolated from the root bark of M. alba; however, its biological effects have not yet been reported. Therefore, we examined the inhibitory effects of morusinol on human platelet aggregation, Ca²⁺ mobilization, and αIIb/β₃ activity. Our data showed that collagen-induced human platelet aggregation was inhibited by morusinol without cytotoxicity. In this study, we examined whether morusinol inhibits platelet aggregation through the regulation of integrin αIIb/β₃ and its associated signaling molecules. We observed that morusinol inhibited αIIb/β₃ activation by regulating vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, Akt (protein kinase B), and glycogen synthase kinase-3α/β. These results show that morusinol inhibited fibronectin adhesion, fibrinogen binding, and clot retraction. Taken together, morusinol shows strong antiplatelet and anti-clot retraction effects and is a potential therapeutic drug candidate to prevent platelet-related thrombosis and cardiovascular disease.