Potassium 2-(1-hydroxypenty1)-benzoate (dl-PHPB) is a new drug candidate for treatment of ischemic stroke with antiplatelet effect. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of dl-PHPB in inhibiting platelet aggregation. The ADP-activated P2Y1-Gq-PLC and P2Y12-Gi-AC pathways were observed, respectively. Intravenous injection of dl-PHPB (1.3, 3.9, 12.9 mg/kg) significantly inhibited ADP-, collagen-, and arachidonic acid-induced rat platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, and dl-PHPB had a relatively more potent inhibitory effect on ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation than other agonists. Dl-PHPB also showed a decreased expression of CD62P (a marker for platelet activation) mediated by ADP. Both dl-PHPB and ticlopidine (P2Y12 receptor antagonist) decreased cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration. But, dl-PHPB did not reverse the inhibition of PGE1-induced platelet cAMP formation by ADP, which was different from ticlopidine. Further, dl-PHPB instead of ticlopidine showed increasing phospholipase C-β phosphorylation (ser(1105)). The m-3M3FBS, a phospholipase C activator, attenuated the inhibitory effect of dl-PHPB on ADP-induced platelet aggregation and enhanced IP1 accumulation in rat platelets. Dl-PHPB decreased IP1 accumulation induced by ADP but had no effect on IP1 level enhanced by m-3M3FBS. Our results suggest that dl-PHPB has a potent antiplatelet effect, which is mainly through blockade of P2Y1 receptor-PLC-IP3 pathway and decreasing cytoplasmic calcium.