Abstract
Astragali Radix (AR), a Chinese materia medica (CMM) known as Huangqi, is an important medicine prescribed in herbal composite formulae (Fufang) by Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners for thousands of years. According to the literature, AR is suggested for patients suffering from “Qi”- and “Blood”-deficiencies, and its clinical effects are reported to be related to anti-cancer cell proliferation, anti-oxidation, relief of complications in cardiovascular diseases, etc. The underlying cell signaling pathways involved in the regulation of these various diseases are presented here to support the mechanisms of action of AR. There are two botanical sources recorded in China Pharmacopoeia (CP, 2015): Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. Var. mongohlicus, (Bge.) Hsiao, and Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. (Fam. Leguminosae), whose extracts of dried roots are processed via homogenization-assisted negative pressure cavitation extraction. Geographic factors and extraction methods have impacts on the pharmaceutical and chemical profiles of AR. Therefore, the levels of the major bioactive constituents of AR, including polysaccharides, saponins, and flavonoids, may not be consistent in different batches of extract, and the pharmaceutical efficacy of these bioactive ingredients may vary depending on the source. Therefore, the present review mainly focuses on the consistency of the available sources of AR and extracts and on the investigation of the biological functions and mechanisms of action of AR and of its major bioactive constituents. Furthermore, it will also include a discussion of the most popular AR composite formulae to further elucidate their chemical and biological profiles and understand the pharmaceutical value of AR.
Highlights
Huangqi (Astragali Radix, AR) is one of the most popular herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), firstly recorded in “Shennong Bencao Jing”
The novel strategy involving pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), microwave-assisted acidic hydrolysis (MAAH), and comprehensive chromatography served as an effective method to increase the polysaccharide extraction yield
The results showed that A. membranaceus dried powder contained about 108.5 mg/g free sucrose and lesser amounts of glucose (9.6–26.0 mg/g) and fructose (8.7–22.9 mg/g)
Summary
W. Gong 1,2,3, *, Ran Duan 1,2 , Huai Y. K. Tsim 1,2 and Kelvin Chan 1,4,5,6, * ID. Division of Life Science, Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong 100044, China. National Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia. Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
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