Bioactive lipids derived from red wine, beers, and their dealcoholized variants inhibit platelet-activating factor (PAF) induced platelet activation in vitro

This study assesses the in vitro antiplatelet properties of polar lipid extracts of two popular beers, a red wine and their 0% equivalents against platelet aggregation. Total lipids (TL) were isolated using the Bligh and Dyer method from each beverage and the total polar lipid (TPL) and total neutral lipid (TNL) fractions were further isolated using counter-current distribution. The lipid profile of each TPL fraction was analysed using LC-MS. Platelet aggregometry was performed to evaluate the TL, TNL, and TPL extracts of each beverage against platelet-activating factor (PAF) induced platelet aggregation. TPL and TL lipid fractions significantly inhibit platelet aggregation, with TPL fractions showing the highest inhibition as evidenced by generally low IC₅₀ values, ranging from 9 μg to 553 μg. These results indicate that antiplatelet lipid microconstituents are present in beer, wine, and their 0% alcohol counterparts, in low but bioactive amounts. These lipids are characterized by predominance of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and a relatively high ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the TPL composition. The extracts also contained notable levels of phenolic compounds ranging from 0.05 to 0.31 mg/mL. These data provide evidence for the presence of antiplatelet lipid microconstituents that may contribute to the observed epidemiological cardioprotective effects of moderate beer and wine consumption. Furthermore, 0% alcoholic beverages may also provide comparable antiplatelet cardioprotective microconstituents devoid of the risk of ethanol ingestion.