- Title
- The effect of lyophilised garlic on pharmacologically modifiable cardiovascular risk factors
- Creator
- Myers, Stephen Patrick
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 1999
- Description
- Please select.. - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- This thesis is an account of studies of the effects of lyophilised garlic on pharmacologically modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. The putative role of garlic in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and its effects on platelet aggregation, fibrinolysis, blood pressure, and blood lipids are reviewed Chapter 1. From this literature review, a series of hypotheses were generated to test the effect of garlic and other member of the Allium genus in in vitro platelet aggregation, and of lyophilised garlic in in vivo haemostasis and hypertension. The subsequent laboratory experiments and clinical trials were designed to test these hypotheses. Chapter 2 describes the laboratory methods used in the experiments on platelet function and fibrinolysis. The validation of the methods used for assessing platelet function and the statistical methods use are discussed in this chapter. Chapter 3 describes four experiments on platelet function. In experiments 3.1 and 3.2, an extract of lyophilised garlic was demonstrated to inhibit platelet aggregation induced by five common agonists (ADP, PAF, collagen, AA and collagen) in a dose dependent manner measured as both area under the aggregation curve and serotonin release. In experiment 3.3, lyophilised garlic and lyophilised extracts of other members of the Allium genus (leeks, onion, chives and spring onion) produced comparable inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by three agonists (ADP, PAF and collagen). In experiment 3.4, lyophilised garlic, fresh garlic and air-dried garlic showed comparable inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by three agonists (ADP, PAF and collagen). However another preparation, aged garlic, had no inhibitory activity. Chapter 4 provides a discussion of these experiments and outlines possible mechanisms of action of lyophilised garlic in the process of platelet activation. Chapter 5 describes a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a cross-over design in healthy subjects on the effect of lyophilised garlic versus placebo on platelet aggregation and fibrinolysis. No effects of lyophilised garlic were found. Chapter 6 describes a radomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a three arm parallel group design in hypertensive subjects on the effect of lyophilised garlic, thiazide and placebo on blood pressure, blood lipids, platelet aggregation and fibrinolysis. No effects of lyophilised garlic were found. Chapter 7 provides a discussion of the clinical trials and explores reasons for the discrepancy between the results of the clinical studies and the in vitro laboratory experiments.
- Subject
- lyophilised garlic; cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular risk factors; garlic; clinical trials
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1312506
- Identifier
- uon:22411
- Rights
- Copyright 1999 Stephen Patrick Myers
- Language
- eng
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