Mango Peel As An Alternative In Vitro Anticoagulant

Introduction

Coagulation or blood clotting is the body’s protective mechanism when blood loss occurs from a damaged blood vessel. When damage happens to a blood vessel, a series of reactions take place to form a blood clot. However, there are several conditions that allow blood clots to be formed in the absence of active bleeding. Blood clots can block blood vessels, an artery or vein. A blocked artery can stop the distribution of blood and oxygen to vital parts of the body such as part of the heart that causes heart attack, brain causing stroke and lungs causing pulmonary embolism (Rull, 2018).

On the other hand, anticoagulation or blood thinner is a treatment that is used to help in preventing blood clot formation. This treatment prevents and reduces the risk of breaking of blood clots that travels to the vital organs of the body, which can lead to severe situation. Anticoagulation prevents blood from coagulating to form a clot in the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain (Ogbru, 2017). More than this, anticoagulant is also used when collecting blood samples for hematologic testing as it inhibits in-vitro coagulation, making the sample usable for testing. The anticoagulant should be mixed the blood sample in the test tube in proper proportion, otherwise it can cause morphological changes in blood cells (Patel, 2009).

There are many anticoagulants that are known today but the most preferred anticoagulant to be used in collecting blood sample is the Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in a purple-top tube (Catalan, Aquino, & Limjuco, 2014). It is the recommended anticoagulant of International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) for blood cell counting and sizing principally because of its cell preservation properties (Catalan et al., 2014). In a research conducted by Banfi, Salvagno, and Lippi, it was found that EDTA is an effective chemical agent for anticoagulation process as it chelates calcium and several other metal ions that are essential for blood clotting (as cited in Catalan et al., 2014). However, consuming of a very small amount of EDTA is said to be expensive. Thus, the researchers of this study aim to provide a cheaper alternative to EDTA as an anticoagulant

Mangifera indica, also known as Mango, is a flowering plant that belongs to Anacardiaceae family. It is a native plant in India that is now one of the most widely cultivated crops since it has been distributed worldwide, mostly in countries with warm climate and that are frost-free. Mango is very abundant in the Philippines as it is one of the country’s crops with the highest production rate every year.

Several researchers found that each part of the Mango tree has its own medicinal properties that benefits human health. The mango peels contain high levels of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, other natural chemicals that helps to lower of the risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts and Parkinson’s disease. This peel contains Vitamin E that is known to have exceptional health benefits. It is also known to have an effective anticoagulant property.

Dawd and Zheng (1995) found out that Vitamin E quinone which is a natural metabolite of vitamin E is a potent inhibitor of the vitamin K-dependent carboxylase which contributes in coagulation process. According to Booth et al. (2004), 'high-dose vitamin E supplementation increased PIVKA-II (proteins induced by vitamin k absence-factor II) in adults not receiving oral anticoagulant theraphy.' High dose of vitamin E may antagonize vitamin K. Vitamin E antagonism of vitamin K in healthy adults may be one of the mechanisms wherein vitamin E exerts mild anticoagulant effect and is associated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease.

Thus, the researchers of this study decided to make use of the mango peels so it will not just go into waste and study its anticoagulant activity and investigate if it can be a cost-effective alternative to EDTA in laboratories.

Statement of the Problem

This research aims to study the anticoagulant activity of Mangifera indica and find out whether it can be an alternative anticoagulant to EDTA. Specifically, it will answer the following questions:

Scopes and Limitation

Significance of the Study

Anticoagulant is used to prevent the formation of blood clots and has been known to its various uses. This treatment is used to prevent or treat abnormal blood clots leading to some disorders. It is also used in collecting blood samples for testing as it inhibits in vitro anticoagulation. However, majority of the anticoagulants used in the clinical laboratory are expensive and relatively toxic to human health. For this reason, the aim of this study is to provide an alternative potential source that could be vital in finding a anticoagualant that is less expensive and non-toxic. It can also be beneficial to the following:

Medical Field

The present study will be a significant endeavor in the improvement of anticoagulant treatment and could have a development in medical field.

Local Community

Since mango is widely produced in the Philippines, it is low cost and will benefit those people who seek affordable treatment.

Future Researchers

For future studies, this will extend existing knowledge about anticoagulants and can be a source for future researchers that will conduct a study within the same field. It will also propose recommendations that will suggest to the future researchers to exceed in the scope of this present study.