Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix
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 &l...
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MDPI AG
2018-05-01
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| Series: | Medicines |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/5/2/46 |
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| author | Amy G. W. Gong Ran Duan Huai Y. Wang Xiang P. Kong Tina T. X. Dong Karl W. K. Tsim Kelvin Chan |
| author_facet | Amy G. W. Gong Ran Duan Huai Y. Wang Xiang P. Kong Tina T. X. Dong Karl W. K. Tsim Kelvin Chan |
| author_sort | Amy G. W. Gong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:32:18Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicines |
| spelling | doaj.art-606ac081926b4bc789134cc2d10a52e72022-12-22T00:31:04ZengMDPI AGMedicines2305-63202018-05-01524610.3390/medicines5020046medicines5020046Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali RadixAmy G. W. Gong0Ran Duan1Huai Y. Wang2Xiang P. Kong3Tina T. X. Dong4Karl W. K. Tsim5Kelvin Chan6Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaShenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaAstragali 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.http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/5/2/46traditional Chinese medicineAstragali Radixpharmaceutical values |
| spellingShingle | Amy G. W. Gong Ran Duan Huai Y. Wang Xiang P. Kong Tina T. X. Dong Karl W. K. Tsim Kelvin Chan Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix Medicines traditional Chinese medicine Astragali Radix pharmaceutical values |
| title | Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Pharmaceutical Properties and Value of Astragali Radix |
| title_sort | evaluation of the pharmaceutical properties and value of astragali radix |
| topic | traditional Chinese medicine Astragali Radix pharmaceutical values |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/5/2/46 |
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