Abstract
Radix Astragali (Astragalus membranaceus) is an important traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used as a tonic to enhance the body’s natural defense mechanisms. In this phytochemical study, 12 flavonoids, isoliquiritigenin (1), liquiritigenin (2), calycosin (3), calycosin 7-O-β-d-glucoside (4), formononetin (5), formononetin 7-O-β-d-glucoside (6), daidzein (7), daidzein 7-O-β-d-glucoside (8), methylnissolin (9), methylnissolin 3-O-β-d-glucoside (10), isomucronulatol (11), and isomucronulatol 7-O-β-d-glucoside (12), were isolated from the roots of A. membranaceus. Their structures were elucidated by comparing spectroscopic data with reported values. The effects of the isolated compounds on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells were investigated. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-12 p40 production, with IC50 values ranging from 2.7 to 6.1 μM. Compound 1 also showed a moderate inhibitory effect on LPS-stimulated production of TNF-α with an IC50 value of 20.1 μM. Further studies of the potential anti-inflammatory effects and benefits of flavonoids from A. membranaceus are warranted.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Priority Research Center Program (2009-0093815) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) and Honam Leading Industry Office through the Leading Industry Development for Economic Region, Republic of Korea.
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Li, W., Sun, Y.N., Yan, X.T. et al. Flavonoids from Astragalus membranaceus and their inhibitory effects on LPS-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine production in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Arch. Pharm. Res. 37, 186–192 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0174-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0174-7