Metabolite changes and anti-inflammatory effects of Astragalus membranaceus Radix by fermentation with Aspergilus strains

Abstract

Abstract Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is an edible medicinal resource in Korea, which has been traditionally used for cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and longevity effects. This study was conducted to investigate metabolic changes and anti-inflammatory effects of AM by fermentation. AM was fermented with three microorganisms of Aspergilus strains isolated from Nuruk at 30□ for 6 days (FAM). The metabolites changes in pre and post fermentation of AM were analyzed by LC-MS. The pro-inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cell line. As a result, the 28 identified metabolites in AM between pre and post fermentation process were detected in this study. The data revealed that the levels of sucrose and astraglaloside IV and calycosin decreased throughout the process while LPC and huangqiyenin B levels increased as expected and were the highest among the metabolites after the fermentation. The FAM reduced IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NO production without cytotoxicity. The results suggest that the fermentation process with Aspergilus strains can increase the functional metabolites and control the inflammatory factors in FAM. We expect the biotransformation technique of flavonoids in Astragalus membranaceus Radix may be used in the field of a healthy food industry.