Evaluation of Clinacanthus nutans leaves extract on Prothrombin Time and Activated Partial Prothrombin Time test

Limitations in existing anticoagulants have prompted a search for the natural origin of anticoagulants. Since there is an increasing need to source for pharmacological and medicinal materials from a plant source, thus an exploratory effort towards identifying and characterizing new anticoagulants from plants is worthwhile. Clinacanthus nutans (C. nutans) commonly known as Sabah snake grass belongs to Acanthaceae family was chosen since it has therapeutic and medicinal benefits. This plant possessed anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic activities. This study was carried out to identify the anticoagulant activities of C. nutans leaves in aqueous and methanol extracts at different concentrations based on prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). The dried leaves of C. nutans were ground into a fine powder and extracted using aqueous and methanol. Anticoagulant assays of PT and aPTT were done on three different concentrations of C. nutans aqueous and methanol extracts (10 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL, and 30 mg/mL) and control group respectively. PT and aPTT of plasma samples were prolonged in both types of extracts (p<0.05). This study highlights that the anticoagulant activity of aqueous and methanol extracts of C.nutans affects the intrinsic and extrinsic pathway, possibly due to the inhibitory action of the clotting factors. These results suggested that aqueous and methanol extracts of C. nutans exhibited anticoagulant activity at certain concentrations.