The ex vivo antiplatelet activation potential of fruit phenolic metabolite hippuric acid

Polyphenol-rich fruit and vegetable intake has been associated with reduction in platelet hyperactivity, a significant contributor to thrombus formation. This study was undertaken to investigate the possible role of hippuric acid, a predominant metabolite of plant cyclic polyols, phenolic acids and polyphenols, in reduction of platelet activation-related thrombogenesis. Fasting blood samples were collected from 13 healthy subjects to analyse the effect of varying concentrations of hippuric acid (100 µM, 200 µM, 500 µM, 1 mM and 2 mM) on activation-dependant platelet surface-marker expression. Procaspase activating compound-1 (PAC-1) and P-selectin/CD62P monoclonal antibodies were used to evaluate platelet activation-related conformational changes and α-granule release respectively using flow cytometry. Platelets were stimulated ex vivo via the P2Y1/P2Y12 – adenosine diphosphate (ADP) pathway of platelet activation. Hippuric acid at a concentration of 1 mM and 2 mM significantly reduced P-selectin/CD62P expression (p=0.03 and p