The antithrombotic, anticoagulant activity and toxicity research of ambinine, an alkaloid from the tuber of Corydalis ambigua var. amurensis

Ambinine, the major alkaloid of the tuber of Corydalis ambigua var. amurensis, has protective effects on H9C2 myocardial cells. In the present paper, we observed that ambinine demonstrates activities of both anticoagulation and thrombolysis in vitro by significantly degrading the blood clot and delaying the plasma recalcification time (PRT) in a dose-dependent manner (0.5–2 mg/mL). We further studied its safety profile of acute and subacute toxicity by repeated-dose intravenous injection. The median lethal dosage (LD50) of mice given by oral and intravenous administration of ambinine were approximate 800, 41.60 mg/kg, respectively. The acute toxicity research results suggested that compared with an intravenous administration, the oral route is safer to administer ambinine as the promising lead compound for thrombosis. In subacute toxicity research, when mice were given ambinine at doses of 1.40 and 2.10 mg/kg for 7 days by injection, significant alteration of the relative kidney weight, the relative liver weight and serum biochemistry parameters and marked histopathological changes of them were found.