Gong Amy G W, Duan Ran, Wang Huai Y, Kong Xiang P, Dong Tina T X, Tsim Karl W K, Chan Kelvin
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, SRI, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518057, China.
Division of Life Science, Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong 100044, China.
Medicines (Basel). 2018 May 21;5(2):46. doi: 10.3390/medicines5020046.
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): (Fisch.) Bge. Var. , (Bge.) Hsiao, and (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.
黄芪，一种被称为“黄芪”的中药材，是中医从业者数千年来在草药复方中开具的重要药物。根据文献记载，黄芪适用于患有“气虚”和“血虚”的患者，据报道其临床效果与抗癌细胞增殖、抗氧化、缓解心血管疾病并发症等有关。本文介绍了参与调节这些各种疾病的潜在细胞信号通路，以支持黄芪的作用机制。《中国药典》（2015年版）记载了两种植物来源：蒙古黄芪（Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao）和膜荚黄芪（Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge.）（豆科），其干燥根提取物通过均质辅助负压空化提取法进行加工。地理因素和提取方法对黄芪的药学和化学特征有影响。因此，不同批次提取物中黄芪主要生物活性成分（包括多糖、皂苷和黄酮类化合物）的含量可能不一致这些生物活性成分的药效可能因来源而异。因此，本综述主要关注黄芪及其提取物现有来源的一致性，以及对黄芪及其主要生物活性成分的生物学功能和作用机制的研究。此外，还将讨论最常用的黄芪复方，以进一步阐明其化学和生物学特征，并了解黄芪的药用价值。
