Current antithrombotic therapies and prospects of natural compounds in the management of the thrombotic disorder

Abstract

Thrombosis-associated cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders are the leading causes of global mortality and morbidity; this rate is alarmingly rising. A diverse class of antithrombotic drugs like antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents are frequently used to manage thrombus-induced physiological consequences, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. But these agents have reported producing a series of adverse effects on the body, including potential bleeding episodes, which makes it urgent to discover antithrombotic therapy with higher efficacy, novel mechanisms of action, and fewer side effects. Research is still going on to isolate antithrombotic agents from various natural sources, and researchers are making remarkable progress in this field. In different experimental models, medicinal plant extracts and plant-derived bioactive compounds have been documented to produce antithrombotic activity through mechanisms like conventional drugs, with minimal or no side effects. Plant extracts and their bioactive compounds (phenolics, polysaccharides, peptides, terpenes, flavonoids) have proven their efficacy as potential candidates for developing safe antithrombotic therapy in numerous <i>in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i> models. Our review aims to introduce the readers to the relationship between thrombus formation and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), problems with traditional therapies, and the role of natural resources in managing thrombus-induced cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases with possible mechanisms.