title: Short-term supplementation with Aronia melanocarpa extract improves platelet aggregation, clotting, and fibrinolysis in patients with metabolic syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A diet rich in berries is believed to play a distinct role in the prevention of metabolic diseases associated with obesity. So far, there have been no published clinical observations evaluating the influence of Aronia melanocarpa on hemostasis. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of A. melanocarpa extract (AM) supplementation on platelet aggregation, clot formation, and lysis in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Middle-aged non-medicated subjects with MS (n = 38) and 14 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Patients with MS were treated with 100 mg of AM three times daily for 2 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a significant reduction in the concentration of TC, LDL-C, and TG after AM supplementation. Beneficial changes in coagulation parameters were also observed. After 1 month of AM administration, we noticed significant inhibition of platelet aggregation. However, this effect became less pronounced after 2 months of supplementation. In the case of coagulation induced by endogenic thrombin, a significant decrease in the overall potential for coagulation was induced after 1 or 2 months of supplementation. Moreover, after 1 month of AM extract supplementation, we observed a beneficial reduction in the overall potential for clot formation and fibrinolysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed the normalization of hemostasis parameters in MS patients after both 1 and 2 months of AM administration. After 1 month of AM supplementation, we found favorable changes in regards to the overall potential for plasma clotting, clot formation, and lysis, as well as in the lipid profiles of subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Analyses, Medical University of Lodz, Muszynskiego 1, 90-151, Lodz, Poland. joanna.sikora@umed.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sikora
authors.forename: Marlena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broncel
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markowicz
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chałubiński
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wojdan
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mikiciuk-Olasik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D046936:Photinia / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D010936:Plant Extracts