Effect of Gosha-jinki-gan, a Kampo medicine, on enhanced platelet aggregation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

We evaluated the effects of Gosha-jinki-gan on platelet aggregation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Enhanced ADP (2 microM)-induced aggregation of platelets obtained from diabetic rats was inhibited by a single treatment with Gosha-jinki-gan (0.3, 1.5 g/kg, p.o.). The anti-platelet aggregatory effect of Gosha-jinki-gan (1.5 g/kg, p.o.) was attenuated by simultaneous administration of atropine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and was abolished by combination of atropine with Hoe 140 (250 microg/kg x 2, i.p.), a bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist or L-NAME (10 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of nitric oxide-synthase. These results suggested that Gosha-jinki-gan could improve platelet aggregation in diabetes through increased production of nitric oxide via bradykinin B2-receptors and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.