EFFECTS OF CEREAL ALKYLRESORCINOLS ON HUMAN PLATELET THROMBOXANE PRODUCTION

An extraction, purification, and identification procedure was used to determine and isolate alkylresorcinol homologs in rye. The major alkylresorcinol homologs have saturated odd-numbered carbons with the predominant chain length of C15, C17, C19, C21, C23, and C25. Rye alk(en)ylresourcinol homologs of C17:0, C17:1, C19:0, C21:0, C23:0, and C25:0, including a C15:0 standard, were used to study their effects on thrombin-challenged human platelet thromboxane production. C15:0 at .02 mu-mol/L, C17:1 at .2 and 2-mu-mol/L, C19:0 at .02 mu-mol/L, C21:0 at 2 mu-mol/L, and C23:0 at .02 and 2 mu-mol/L, significantly stimulated thromboxane production approximately 30 to 65 percent. These stimulation effects of alk(en)ylresorcinol homologs can be interpreted via either their membrane disruptive or free radical scavenging properties.