A three-year world-first study by Australia’s Heart Research Institute (HRI) has confirmed a natural chemical found in broccoli can reduce the formation of harmful blood clots that can in some instances lead to stroke and improve the performance of clot-busting drugs afterwards.
Lead researcher Dr Xuyu (Johnny) Liu commented, “What we found in a preclinical trial is that the tPA success rate increases to 60 per cent when the medication is given with the broccoli-derived compound. Excitingly, this naturally occurring compound does not cause any signs of bleeding, which is a common side effect associated with blood-thinning agents tested in stroke treatment.
“This means we could see paramedics treating ischaemic stroke patients with a broccoli-based medication as well as tPA on the way to hospital,” he said.
The initial testing also showed that once the broccoli-derived molecules were administered they were also able to slow down the onset of a stroke. The broccoli breakthrough was the work of 25-year-old PhD student Ivy Guan, who works in the research team under the guidance of Dr Liu.
“Not only is the broccoli compound effective in improving the performance of clot-busting medication after a stroke, it could be used as a preventative agent for patients who are at a high risk of stroke,” added Dr Liu. “We are very excited at having isolated a natural compound that may have huge beneficial effects. Our studies will keep exploring how highly purified compounds from vegetables may have beneficial effects in disease processes.
“We want to understand how nature is giving us gifts to improve our health. Already we have discovered another compound from a different vegetable that looks promising in thrombotic diseases.”