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Review
. 2022 Jun;45(6):367-389.
doi: 10.1007/s12272-022-01393-3. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Astragalus polysaccharide: a review of its immunomodulatory effect

Chun-Xiao Li  1 , Ying Liu  1 , Yu-Zhen Zhang  1 , Jing-Chun Li  2 , Jiang Lai  3
Affiliations
Review

Astragalus polysaccharide: a review of its immunomodulatory effect

Chun-Xiao Li et al. Arch Pharm Res. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

The Astragalus polysaccharide is an important bioactive component derived from the dry root of Astragalus membranaceus. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research progress on the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide and provide valuable reference information. We review the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on central and peripheral immune organs, including bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and mucosal tissues. Furthermore, the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on a variety of immune cells is summarized. Studies have shown that Astragalus polysaccharide can promote the activities of macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and microglia and induce the expression of a variety of cytokines and chemokines. The immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide makes it promising for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, infection, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease. Among them, the anticancer effect is the most prominent. In short, Astragalus polysaccharide is a valuable immunomodulatory medicine, but further high-quality studies are warranted to corroborate its clinical efficacy.

Keywords: Anticancer; Astragalus polysaccharide; Immune cells; Immune organs; Immune regulation.

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