Two New Acylated Tridesmosidic Saponins from Astragalus armatus

Astragalus species: Insights on its chemical composition toward pharmacological applications

Astragalus L. is widely distributed throughout the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. The genus is widely used in folk medicine and in dietary supplements, as well as in cosmetics, teas, coffee, vegetable gums, and as forage for animals. The major phytoconstituents of Astragalus species with beneficial properties are saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Astragalus extracts and their isolated components exhibited promising in vitro and in vivo biological activities, including antiaging, antiinfective, cytoprotective, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, antidiabesity, and immune-enhancing properties. Considering their proven therapeutic potential, the aim of this work is to give a comprehensive summary of the Astragalus spp. and their active components, in an attempt to provide new insight for further clinical development of these xenobiotics. This is the first review that briefly describes their ethnopharmacology, composition, biological, and toxicological properties.

Compounds from the pods of Astragalus armatus with antioxidant, anticholinesterase, antibacterial and phagocytic activities

CONTEXT

The phytochemical study and biological activities of Astragalus armatus Willd. subsp. numidicus (Fabaceae) pods, an endemic shrub of Maghreb, are reported.

OBJECTIVE

This study isolates the secondary metabolites and determines the bioactivities of Astragalus armatus pods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts of hydro-ethanolic extracts were studied. Antioxidant activity was investigated using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging, CUPRAC and ferrous chelating assays at concentrations ranging from 3 to 200 μg/mL. Anticholinesterase activity was determined against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes at 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL. Antibacterial activity was performed according to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Carbon clearance method in albino mice was used for the phagocytic activity at concentrations 50, 70 and 100 mg/kg body weight. Spectroscopic techniques were used to elucidate the compounds.

RESULTS

Ethyl acetate extract afforded a flavonoid (1) while the n-butanol extract gave four flavonoids (2-5), a cyclitol (6) and a cycloartane-type saponin (7). The ethyl acetate extract exhibited highest antioxidant activity in DPPH (IC₅₀: 67.90 ± 0.57 μg/mL), ABTS (IC₅₀: 11.30 ± 0.09 μg/mL) and CUPRAC (A_0.50: 50.60 ± 0.9 μg/mL) assays. The chloroform extract exhibited the best antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, each with 80 μg/mL MIC values. The n-butanol extract enhanced phagocytic activity.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Isorhamnetin (1), isorhamnetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-galactopyranoside (2), isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-d-galactopyranoside (3), kaempferol-3-O-(2,6-di-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (4), kaempferol-3-O-(2,6-di-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), pinitol (6) and cyclomacroside D (7) were isolated whereas 1, 2, 6 and 7 are reported for the first time from A. armatus.

A review of recent research progress on the astragalus genus

Astragalus L., is one of the largest genuses of flowering plants in the Leguminosae family. Roots of A. membranaceus Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao, A. membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. and its processed products are listed in the China Pharmacopeia for “qi deficiency” syndrome treatment. However, more and more researches on other species of Astragalus have been conducted recently. We summarize the recent researches of Astragalus species in phytochemistry and pharmacology. More than 200 constituents, including saponins and flavonoids, obtained from 46 species of Astragalus genus were collected for this article. In pharmacological studies, crude extracts of Astragalus, as well as isolated constituents showed anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant, antioxidative, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and antiviral activities. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of chemical and pharmacological studies on the Astragalus species over the last 10 years, which could be of value to new drug or food supplement research and development.

Triterpenoids

This review covers the isolation and structure determination of triterpenoids, including squalene derivatives, protostanes, lanostanes, holostanes, cycloartanes, dammaranes, euphanes, tirucallanes, tetranortriterpenoids, quassinoids, lupanes, oleananes, friedelanes, ursanes, hopanes, serratanes and saponins; 305 references are cited.

Extraction and isolation of saponins

Due to their special structural features, extraction and isolation of saponins poses a serious challenge. Conventional methods have been explored as well as the recent, relatively greener, efficient, solvent-economic, time-saving, newer methods of extraction. Both traditional and recent methods of isolation are also discussed. Finally, examples are given involving both conventional and newer methods of extraction and isolation. Though in general it is difficult to use a single technique for isolation of saponins, recent literature work seems to point to the fact that high speed counter-current separation coupled to evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) gives superior separation. The ELSD appears to have circumvented the long-standing problem of saponin detection as most of these do not have a chromophore, and hence making UV detection only nonspecific and at range 200-210 nm.