Astragalus Species Research Articles

Astragalus kanjuensis, a new species of section Aegacantha (Galegeae-Fabaceae) from Swat, Pakistan

A new species Astragalus kanjuensis, is described and illustrated from Kanju Town, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The new species is morphologically similar to A. vallis-astoris Podlech & Zarre, but is characterized by densely white pilose young branches, short stipules 3.5–7 mm long, with 1–3 longitudinal nerves, elongate 2.5–6.3 cm long peduncles, pilose with white hairs, two-flowered raceme, whitish-membranous pilose bracts with white hairs, pedicels 3.5–5.5 mm long, densely pubescent with white hairs, relatively long standard up to 32 mm, ovary short-stipitate, style glabrous in the middle, legumes elliptic to oblong, 14–21×4–6.5 mm, beak abruptly curved 2–4 mm densely pubescent with white spreading hairs.

Turkish Astragalus Species: Botanical Aspects, Secondary Metabolites, and Biotransformation.

Astragalus is a widespread genus comprising approximately 3500 species, both annual and perennial, found across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. In Turkey, it is represented by 63 sections and 485 taxa with a high endemism ratio (51%). In traditional medicine, the roots of various Astragalus species represent very old and well-known drugs used for antiperspirant, diuretic, and tonic purposes, as well as for the treatment of nephritis, diabetes, leukemia, and uterine cancer. The genus Astragalus is the richest source of cycloartane-type compounds, which display a diverse range of bioactivities, such as wound healing, immunomodulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antimutagenic, antiviral, and antiprotozoal activities. Moreover, cycloastragenol, the main sapogenol of many cycloartane-type glycosides found in the Astragalus genus, has gained attention as a potent telomerase activator over the past decade. The preparation of cycloastragenol derivatives could be significant in the near future due to their unique bioactivity. This review covers the botanical aspects of Astragalus L., as well as the phytochemical and biological activity studies conducted on Turkish Astragalus species, with a special focus on cycloartenols. It contains 36 articles reporting the phytochemistry of 29 Astragalus species and 111 new compounds, including 104 triterpene saponins. In addition to the phytochemical studies, this review summarizes the biotransformation studies on Astragalus cycloartanes via endophytic fungi isolated from the tissues of Astragalus species.

Evaluation of methyl jasmonate as elicitor in the production of cycloartane saponins in Astragalus aitosensis in vitro root cultures

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment is known to increase the levels of plant secondary metabolites. The significant medicinal benefits of cycloartane type saponins, including immune modulation, antiviral properties, and antitumor activity, drive high global demand, making sustainable production methods economically, medically, and ecologically important. In this study the effect of MeJA as an elicitor for promoting higher accumulation of cycloartane saponins – astragaloside I, II and IV was evaluated. The experiment was conducted using biotechnological approaches for sustainable production using in vitro root cultures of the endemic plant species Astragalus aitosensis, which is known to produce rare cycloartane saponins. LC-HRESI-MS analysis was used to identify and quantify compounds. The content of astragaloside I increased significantly by 68% (118 ng/mg DW) compared to control group (70 ng/mg DW). Astragaloside II was found with 1.5 points increased amount (473 ng/mg DW), compared to control (331 ng/mg DW) and astragaloside IV production was also improved. The highest cost-efficacy concentration of the elicitor for all tested astragalosides was observed at 50 µL MeJA.

Phytochemical Analysis and In Vitro Effects on Isolated Murine Lymphocytes and Macrophages of Polymeric Micelles Loaded with Cycloartane Saponin

Triterpenoid saponins from the Astragalus species possess valuable effects (cytotoxic, adjuvant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antiviral, etc.). Some also have immunomodulatory activities. Astragalus glycyphyllos is distributed in Bulgaria and mainly accumulates cycloartane saponins. From the overground parts of the species, a triterpenoid cyloartane-type saponin (AGOS3) was isolated by different chromatographic techniques. A quantitative LC-MS method for the determination of the saponin was developed and validated. Further, the saponin was loaded in copolymeric micelles based on triblock copolymers of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide (Pluronics). The LC-MS method was applied on the developed micelles to determine their loading degrees. Afterwards, the possible pharmacological effects of free and encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles of triterpenoid saponin (1, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL) were evaluated in isolated murine macrophages and lymphocytes in vitro. Free AGOS3 stimulated proliferation only at the highest tested concentrations (50–100 µg/mL), and the effect was more evident in isolated macrophages. Interestingly, AGOS3-loaded polymeric micelles caused concentration dependency and statistically significant increases in the proliferation of both isolated lymphocytes and macrophages, even at a lower concentration (10 µg/mL). These results could serve as the basis for further research on the immunomodulatory effect of this saponin.

Evaluating trait variation and covariation in perennial, herbaceous crop candidate species using herbarium specimens

AbstractContemporary agriculture in many parts of the world consists of annual plant species grown in monoculture, but recently interest has focused on developing perennial, herbaceous species for use in perennial polycultures that offer greater ecosystem services relative to annual monocultures. Because few perennial, herbaceous species were domesticated by early farmers, one of the initial steps in identifying wild, perennial, herbaceous species for potential crop development is understanding patterns of variation and covariation among reproductive traits that underpin yield and vegetative traits. Herbaria can serve as a valuable resource for taxonomically broad surveys of phenotypic variation and covariation for pre-breeding. In this study, we used herbarium specimens to investigate trait variation and covariation in five genera of the legume family (Fabaceae). We addressed two questions: (1) do vegetative and reproductive traits vary as a function of life span (annual vs. perennial species), and are these differences consistent across genera?; and (2) how do vegetative and reproductive traits correlate with one another across lifespan and/or within genera? Reproductive traits and vegetative traits were measured on 535 herbarium specimens representing annual and perennial species of Astragalus, Lupinus, Phaseolus, Strophostyles, and Vigna. While species exhibited intra- and interspecific variation, few morphological differences were observed among annual and perennial species. Correlations among vegetative traits and among reproductive traits were mostly positive when significant, and perennial species generally exhibited more positive correlations between vegetative and reproductive traits than annual species. These data have potential relevance for perennial crop development, and provide further support that herbaria represent a rich, relatively untapped resource of information about plant trait variation and covariation.

Antioxidant and Anti-microbial Activities of Astragalus rhodosemius Boiss. & Hausskn. Extracts

Background: One of the Astragalus (Leguminosae) species with remarkable pharmacological and biological properties is Astragalus rhodosemius, which has been utilized in traditional medicine. Very little study has been conducted on this species thus far. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-microbial and antioxidant properties of two distinct extracts of Astragalus rhodosemius aerial parts (n-butanol and ethyl acetate) as well as an ethyl acetate extract of the root. Methods: Each extract's ability to scavenge the free radicals of DPPH was used to express the antioxidant property. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, such as Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, were spread to assess the extract's antimicrobial properties. Results: The aerial portions' n-butanol extract (IC50 = 0.92 μg/mL) demonstrated excellent antioxidant properties. The microorganisms that responded to the root's ethyl acetate extract the most were Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 1 μg/mL). Conclusion: This study's findings demonstrated that A. rhodosemius has strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which allow for its application as a natural antioxidant or antibiotic in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations for the prevention of cancer.

Comparative Assessment of Antimicrobial Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Five Species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) Collected from Southeast of Iran, Kerman

Background: The antimicrobial properties of certain plants against five microorganisms have been investigated and compared. Objectives: In this research, we collected, dried, and identified five perennial (chamaephyte) species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from a mountainous region (Takht-e-Sartashtak) with an average elevation of 3600 meters in southeastern Iran. The species include Astragalus cemerinus, Astragalus dactylocarpus, Astragalus glaucacanthus, Astragalus rhodosemius, and Astragalus siliquosus. Methods: The methanolic extracts of these plant species were tested to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against five pathogenic microorganisms, including one fungus (Candida albicans), two gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli), and two gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus). The tests were conducted using Mueller Hinton Agar culture media and the agar-well diffusion method. Results: The antimicrobial activity of these five species was compared. It was found that the plant species displayed different antimicrobial activities. Astragalus glaucacanthus was active against four of the five microorganisms and was the only plant active against Escherichia coli. Astragalus siliquosus showed no activity against any of the microorganisms. Conclusions: Most of the antimicrobial activity was observed with Astragalus rhodosemius against Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the plant extracts were almost similar.

Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Effects of Several Astragalus Species (Fabaceae).

The review integrates information on the component composition and biological activity of some Astragalus L. (Fabaceae) species from studies reported over the past 5-7 years. The aerial and underground parts of 34 Astragalus species contain triterpene saponins, flavonoids, polysacharides, tannins, free organic acids, higher fatty acids, vitamins, trace elements, and other constituents. Among the Astragalus species, A.membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge is the best studied in terms of component composition and biological activity. Anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anticancer, cardioprotective, and hepathoprotective activities have been experimentally detected in total bioactive substances, fractions, and individual compounds extracted from various parts of A. membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongholicus in vitro and in vivo. The composition and biological effects of other Astragalus species are still poorly understood. The review summarizes the recent advances in studying new compounds extracted from Astragalus species and their biological activities.

Lisosomal storage disease caused by ingestion of Astragalus spp in llamas: an emergent concern.

Lysosomal storage diseases are inherited or acquired disorders characterized by dysfunctional lysosomes that lead to intracytoplasmic accumulation of undegraded substrates, causing impaired cellular function and death. Many acquired lysosomal storage diseases are produced by toxic plants, which have indolizidine alkaloids, including swainsonine, that inhibits lysosomal α-mannosidase and Golgi α-mannosidase II. Swainsonine-induced nervous disease associated with various plants has been reported, including species of the genus Astragalus, Sida, Oxitropis, Swainsona, and Ipomoea. Two species of Astragalus (i.e. Astragalus garbancillo and Astragalus punae) have been found to cause neurologic disease in llamas. In addition, A. garbancillo was also associated with malformations in the offspring, and possibly abortions and neonatal mortality in llamas. The diagnosis of Astragalus spp. intoxication is established based on clinical signs, microscopic and ultrastructural findings, lectin histochemistry, abundance of these plants in the grazing area and determination of swainsonine in plant specimens.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic insights into drought response strategies of two Astragalus species

Drought is a major environmental constraint to plant productivity, and plants cope with water limitation using drought avoidance and/or tolerance strategies. Mesoxerophyte Astragalus mongholicus displayed better drought resistance than the mesophyte A. membranaceus. However, the underlying response mechanisms are still elusive. In this study, we characterized the morphological, physiological, molecular, and metabolic responses to drought stress to reveal the different response strategies in the two Astragalus species. The susceptible A. membranaceus, with a larger leaf area, showed significant stomatal closure at moderate drought stress, indicating drought avoidance strategy to minimize transpiration. A. mongholicus, with a smaller leaf area, was better in maintaining photosynthesis and activating antioxidant enzymes than A. membranaceus towards the drought tolerance strategy. Drought has greater disturbance on gene expression in A. membranaceus, compared to A. mongholicus, indicating that A. membranaceus was more sensitive in the face of drought. Meanwhile, highly conserved osmotic stress signal transduction pathways were discovered in two Astragalus species under drought treatment. The up-regulation of dehydration-responsive element-binding gene (DREB) expression in A. mongholicus, initiating a series of stress response pathways to help plants adapt and cope with water limitation, showed better “tolerance” than in A. membranaceus. An increase of compatible solutes in A. membranaceus indicates a positive response in regulating osmotic homeostasis in response to drought. The greater investment in antioxidant supplementation phenolic compounds of A. mongholicus suggests the “Tolerance” strategy. Furthermore, the greater antioxidant investment of A. mongholicus is evidenced by higher antioxidant efficacies in terms of antiradical activity. In summary, we conclude that the “Tolerance” strategy of A. mongholicus and the “Avoidance” strategy of A. membranaceus in the face of drought stress can be established.

Five New Tamarixetin Glycosides from Astragalus thracicus Griseb. Including Some Substituted with the Rare 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaric Acid and Their Collagenase Inhibitory Effects In Vitro.

Along with the known kaempferol-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[6-O-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl)]-β-d-galactopyranoside (1), five new flavonoids, containing the rarely isolated aglycon tamarixetin, were isolated from a methanolic extract of the endemic Balkan species Astragalus thracicus Griseb. Three of the new compounds are substituted with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl residue (HMG), untypical for the genus Astragalus. The compounds were identified as tamarixetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[6-O-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl)]-β-d-galactopyranoside (2), tamarixetin-3-O-(2,6-di-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (3), tamarixetin 3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-galactopyranoside (4), tamarixetin-3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-[6-O-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl)]-β-d-galactopyranoside (5), and tamarixetin-3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-d-galactopyranoside (6). Selected compounds from A. thracicus were tested to evaluate their anticollagenase activity. The greatest effect was observed for quercetin-3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-galactopyranoside, possibly due to the presence of an ortho-dihydroxy arrangement of flavonoid ring B. The effect on collagenase and elastase was further evaluated also by in silico study, and the test compounds showed some level of in silico interaction.

Analysis of Microbial Diversity and Community Structure of Rhizosphere Soil of Three Astragalus Species Grown in Special High-Cold Environment of Northwestern Yunnan, China.

Astragalus is a medicinal plant with obvious rhizosphere effects. At present, there are many Astragalus plants with high application value but low recognition and resource reserves in the northwestern area of Yunnan province, China. In this study, metagenomics was used to analyze the microbial diversity and community structure of rhizosphere soil of A. forrestii, A. acaulis, and A. ernestii plants grown in a special high-cold environment of northwestern Yunnan, China, at different altitudes ranging from 3225 to 4353 m. These microbes were taxonomically annotated to obtain 24 phyla and 501 genera for A. forrestii, 30 phyla and 504 genera for A. acaulis, as well as 39 phyla and 533 genera for A. ernestii. Overall, the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria, while the dominant fungal ones were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. At the genus level, Bradyrhizobium, Afipia, and Paraburkholderia were the most prevalent bacteria, and Hyaloscypha, Pseudogymnoascus, and Russula were the dominant fungal genera. Some of them are considered biocontrol microbes that could sustain the growth and health of host Astragalus plants. Redundancy analysis revealed that pH, TN, and SOM had a significant impact on the microbial community structures (p < 0.05). Finally, triterpene, flavonoid, polysaccharide, and amino acid metabolisms accounted for a high proportion of the enriched KEGG pathways, which possibly contributed to the synthesis of bioactive constituents in the Astragalus plants.

Comparative Evaluation of the Diuretic Activity of Infusions of Four Species of the Genus Astragalus (&lt;i&gt;Astragalus&lt;/i&gt; L.) in the Experiment

Introduction. Astragalus L. is the largest genus of the Fabaceae family and one of the largest genera of vascular plants on Earth. The official type of raw material included in the 7th edition of the European Pharmacopoeia is Radix Astragali – the dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge and Astragalus mongholicus Bunge. Extracts obtained from astragalus root have anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, antioxidant, diuretic effects. In traditional medicine, the herb of Astragalus dasyanthus Pall. is actively used. An infusion of the herb of Astragali dasyanthi has sedative, hypotensive and diuretic effects. However, the raw material is not official and is not included in the list of plant raw materials of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation of the XIV edition. Promising species of the genus Astragalus L. can be not Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge and Astragalus dasyanthus Pall., but also other species, for example, Astragalus varius S.G. Gmel., Astragalus testiculatus Pall., Astragalus henningii (Stev.) Klok., which are widespread in the Saratov region. In view of the available data on the presence of the herb of Astragalus dasyanthus Pall. and Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge of the diuretic effect, it is of interest to study the diuresis of extracts from the herb of other species of the genus Astragalus L.Aim. To study the diuretic activity of infusions from the herb of four types of astragalus: Astragalus dasyanthus, Astragalus varius, Astragalus testiculatus, Astragalus henningii in 4- and 24-hour experiments on male rats.Materials and methods. The study of the diuretic activity of aqueous extracts from the herb of four types of Astragalus was performed on 42 white male rats, which were divided into 6 experimental and control groups of 6 animals. Aqueous extracts from Astragalus herb were prepared in the ratio of raw material-extractant 1:10, all obtained infusions met the requirements for these dosage forms according to the General Pharmacopoeia of the State Fund of the Russian Federation of the XIV edition. Aqueous extracts were administered to animals intragastrically through an umbrella at a dose of 100 mg/kg. During the experiment were collected 4-hour and 24-hour portions of urine. The comparison drug in the 4-hour experiment was furosemide at a dose of 1 mg/kg, and in the 24-hour experiment, hydrochlorothiazide at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Results and discussion. As a result of the experiment, the diuretic effect of the infusion of the herb of Astragalus dasyanthus both in the 4-hour experiment and in the 24-hour experiment. Also in both experiments, the most pronounced diuretic effect was found in the infusion of the herb of Astragalus henningii at a dose of 100 mg/kg compared with herb infusions Astragalus dasyanthus, Astragalus varius. Diuretic effect Astragalus henningii exceeded the diuretic activity of furosemide at a dose of 1 mg/kg, while a comparable effect was observed with hydrochlorothiazide at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Diuretic effect of herbal infusion Astragalus varius in a 4-hour experiment exceeded the diuretic effect of herb infusion Astragalus dasyanthus and furosemide at a dose of 1 mg/kg, and in a 24-hour experiment comparable to the diuretic effect of herb infusion Astragalus dasyanthus, but lower than that of hydrochlorothiazide at a dose of 20 mg/kg and herb infusion Astragalus henningii. Diuretic effect of herbal infusion Astragalus testiculatus at a dose of 100 mg/kg was not detected both in the 4-hour and in the 24-hour period. The diuretic activity of the group that received the infusion of the herb of Astragalus testiculatus was at the level of the control group, compared with other experimental groups, a statistically significant decrease in diuresis was observed in animals.Conclusion. The experiment confirmed the diuretic effect of the infusion of the herb of Astragalus dasyanthus and for the first time discovered the diuretic effect of the infusion of the herb of Astragalus varius and the infusion of the herb of Astragalus henningii. Among the studied infusions, the most pronounced diuretic effect was observed in Astragalus henningii herb infusion. The diuretic effect of Astragalus varius infusion is higher than that of Astragalus dasyanthus infusion. in a 4-hour experiment and did not differ in effectiveness from the infusion of the herb of Astragalus dasyanthus in a 24 hour experiment. The diuretic effect of the infusion of the herb astragalus oviparous was not revealed.

The Effect of Heat Shock on Seed Dormancy Release and Germination in Two Rare and Endangered Astragalus L. Species (Fabaceae).

Many Astragalus species exhibit seeds with physical dormancy (PY), but little is known about the ecological context of this dormancy. We focused on A. maritimus and A. verrucosus, two threatened Sardinian endemic species inside the subgenus Trimeniaeus Bunge. Fresh seeds collected from the only two respective known populations were used to investigate the effect of mechanical scarification, heat shock, and water imbibition processes on PY release and germination. PY can be overcome through mechanical scarification of the water-impermeable seed coats, while no dormancy break was detected, nor a subsequent increase in seed germination due to fire-induced heat. This suggests that fire does not trigger dormancy release and seed germination in these species. The seeds tolerate relatively high heat shock temperatures (up to 120 and 100 °C for A. verrucosus and A. maritimus, respectively), but after 120 °C for 10 min, the number of dead seeds increases in both species. These facts suggest the capacity to develop a soil seed bank that can persist after fires and delay germination until the occurrence of optimal conditions. As regards water imbibition, both Astragalus species did not show the typical triphasic pattern, as germination started without further water uptake. This study emphasizes the significance of understanding germination processes and dormancy in threatened species. In fire-prone ecosystems, PY dormancy plays a crucial role in soil seed bank persistence, and it may be selectively influenced by post-fire conditions. Understanding such adaptations provides useful insights into conservation strategies.

HPLC-UV Analysis of Flavonoid Glycosides in the Herb of &lt;i&gt;Astragalus&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;A. dasyanthus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;A. varius&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;A. testiculatus&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;A. henningii&lt;/i&gt;), Growing in the Volga Region

Introduction. The search for new promising sources of biologically active substances is one of the tasks of modern pharmacognosy. Among the huge variety of species of the genus Astragalus L., only a few of them have been studied. In addition, none of them is included in the current edition of the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. In our opinion, the study of four species of this genus of Astragalus L. (A. dasyanthus, A. varius, A. testiculatus, A. henningii) growing in the Volga region is of interest.Aim. Study of the glycoside composition of flavonoids in the astragalus herb of four species (A. dasyanthus, A. varius, A. testiculatus, A. henningii) by HPLC-UV using external standards.Materials and methods. The material was samples of astragalus grass (A. dasyanthus, A. varius, A. testiculatus, A. henningii), collected on the territory of the Saratov region in accordance with the basic rules of collection and preparation and dried to an air-dry state. Aqueous-alcoholic extracts (1 : 50) were analyzed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoid glycosides was carried out on an Agilent 1260 chromatograph (Agilent Technologies, USA) equipped with a diode array detector, manual sample injection (Agilent G1328C manual injector, Agilent Technologies USA) and an Agilent Open Lab CDS system for collecting and processing chromatographic data. The elution gradient was selected individually using 0.1 % phosphoric acid/acetonitrile solution as solvents. Compounds were identified by retention times and UV spectra of reference standards (RS). The quantitative content of each detected component was expressed in mg/g of dry raw material. All studies were repeated five times, the results were statistically processed using MS Exсel 2010.Results and discussion. The chromatographic profiles of aqueous-alcoholic extracts from the herbs of four types of astragalus were studied. Differences were found in both the qualitative composition and quantitative content of flavonoid glycosides in the grass of the analyzed species. The largest number of compounds was found in the herb of A. varius (6 compounds), 4 compounds were identified in the herb of A. dasyanthus and A. henningii, and 3 compounds were identified in the herb of A. testiculatus. The dominant components in the herb of A. henningii are orientin and rutin, in the herb of A. testiculatus and A. varius it is cynaroside, and in A. dasyanthus it is rutin.Conclusion. A HPLC-UV method was developed for determining the quantitative content of flavonoid glycosides in extracts from the herbs of four species of astragalus (A. dasyanthus, A. varius, A. testiculatus, A. henningii) and the chromatographic profiles of the analyzed samples were studied.

Comparison of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes in the Astragalus

Background: Astragalus is one of the largest angiosperms and has important economic value. The chloroplast genomes (Cp) of most plants in its family have been sequenced and annotated, but there are fewer studies on the characteristics of the chloroplast genomes and codon usage bias of Astragalus. In this study, we sequenced and annotated the complete chloroplast genomes of three Astragalus species, that systematically compared the chloroplast genome and codon usage characteristics of three Astragalus. Methods: In this study, we used three Astragalus species as materials. Firstly, we sequenced and assembled their chloroplast genomes. Subsequently, we analyzed the codon usage bias of the chloroplast genomes of the three medicinal Astragalus species using software such as CodonW, CUSP and SPSS. Result: The results illustrated that the length of Astragalus chloroplast genome ranges from 122,815 bp (A. dahuricus) to 123,729 bp (A. melilotoides Pall.). There were 107-110genes, including 75-76 protein-coding genes (PCGs), four ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and 28-30 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs). In addition, the results illustrated that codons in three Cp genomes from Astragalus had the same 11 Optimal codons and ending with A/U. The codon usage frequency of five model creatures were compared and the results revealed that the codon preferences of Astragalus and five model creatures were pretty significant, the natural selection was the main factor in codon preference. Our research provides some value for the researches of chloroplast genetic engineering and molecular breeding in Astragalus.

DNA barcoding and morphological identification of Astragalus in Iran: Advantages to molecular approach

Astragalus is a crucial forage plant in the rangelands of northeastern Iran. However, identifying different species of Astragalus can be challenging due to their overlapping morphological features. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationships between 12 Astragalus species using both morphological and molecular traits. We also evaluated the effectiveness of DNA barcoding as a tool for identifying rangeland species of Astragalus in Northeast Iran. We examined five DNA barcodes, including three cpDNA regions (trnH-psbA, rpl32-trnL(UAG), and matK) and two nuclear sequences (ITS and ETS). We found that the plastid markers (rpl32-trnL(UAG, matK) were the most effective in differentiating between species. We also found that morphological data, as represented by the Neighbor-Net network and UPGMA dendrogram, had the potential to separate Astragalus species. We identified matK as the best and most accurate marker for barcoding, as trnH-psbA had some defects due to sequence size and alignment issues. Our study highlights the importance of using barcoding for quick and accurate recognition of plant species and shows the plastid markers were the most effective in differentiating between species.

Analysis of Species of Astragalus L. types distribution in flora sands

Analysis of Species of Astragalus L. types distribution in flora sands

Investigation of the variability of chloroplast DNA of some Astragalus spp. of sect. Helmia and A. arcanus of sect. Erioceras (Fabaceae)

Analysis of chloroplast DNA sequences revealed a high polymorphism of the length and nucleotide composition of trnF–trnV and the intron trnL for Helmia section species of the genus Astragalus (Fabaceae). Molecular genetic studies of Astragalus species of the Helmia section were previously practically not carried out; sequencing of trnF–trnV and the intron trnL of chloroplast DNA for 7 species of the section, as well as the probable intersection hybrid Astragalus arcanus held for the first time. On the basis of genetic studies, clarified the relationship between species included in the section Helmia. The possible stages of sect. Helmia evolution are discussed. The taxonomic isolation of Astragalus permiensis has been confirmed; it is assumed not to be of Uralic, but of Siberian or Central Asian origin. Astragalus ionae belongs to the section Helmia is confirmed. Astragalus depauperatus s. l. is thought to be a complex of twin species. In this article, one of them is considered in the status of the species A. chakassiensis. &#x0D; Copy Translate

A new species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from Zhob district of northern Balochistan, Pakistan

A new species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from Zhob district of northern Balochistan, Pakistan