Astragali radix

Calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside(CG) treatment can significantly reduce infarct volume, histological damage and BBB permeability in the in vivo MCAO ischemia–reperfusion rat model; inhibit the expression and activities of MMPs, and secure the expression of cav-1 and tight junction proteins in the microvessels isolated from ischemic rat cortex; scavenge NO, inhibit the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and attenuate cell death in the in vitro cultured brain microvascular endothelial cells under OGD condition; thus CG could protect BBB integrity in experimental cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury via regulating NO/cav-1/MMPs pathway.

Ononin, an isoflavonoid, was isolated from the soils of cultivated areas associated with the perennial weed,Pluchea lanceolata, aqueous solutions of this compound can significantly inhibit root and shoot growth of mustard at 1×10(-4) M, 5×10(-4) M, and 1×10(-3)M.

Calycosin, a major isoflavonoid isolated from Radix Astragal, induces angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cell cultures (HUVEC) in vitro and zebrafish embryos in vivo via the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 mRNA expression;it acts similar to other selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) to promote angiogenesis via activation of MAPK with the involvement of ERK1/2 and ER. , such as raloxifene and tamoxifen, by displaying selective potency and affinity to estrogen receptors ERa and ERb.

Astragaloside IV, a saponin isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, has been shown to protect the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury, it also has beneficial effect in H/R-induced injury may be related to normalization of SR Ca2+ pump expression and, thus, it may prevent the depression in SR Ca2+ handling.

Astragaloside II can downregulate the expression of the P-gp and mdr1 gene, suppress phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, suggests that Astragaloside II is a potent multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal agent and may be a potential adjunctive agent for hepatic cancer chemotherapy.

Cycloastragenol(CAG), a triterpene aglycone derived from Radix astragali , can suppress the accumulation of cytoplasmic lipid droplet in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Formononetin causes vascular relaxation via endothelium/NO-dependent mechanism and endothelium-independent mechanism which involves the activation of BK(Ca) and K(ATP) channels.

AstragalosideΙ(As-Ι), one of the main active ingredients in Astragalus membranaceus, As-I stimulates osteoblast differentiation through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which also activates the BMP pathway and RANK pathway, thus highlighting the As-Ιfor pharmaceutical and medicinal applications such as treating bone disease.

Astragaloside III can effectively reduce cancer cell survival in vitro and inhibit the tumor growth in vivo, the potential mechanism is the induction of cell apoptosis signaling pathways, suggests that it provides a new therapeutic tool to treat breast cancer.