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Review
. 2023 Jun 27;28(13):5018.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28135018.

Biosynthesis and Pharmacological Activities of Flavonoids, Triterpene Saponins and Polysaccharides Derived from Astragalus membranaceus

Miaoyin Dong  1   2 , Jinjuan Li  3 , Delong Yang  1   2 , Mengfei Li  2   4 , Jianhe Wei  5
Affiliations
Review

Biosynthesis and Pharmacological Activities of Flavonoids, Triterpene Saponins and Polysaccharides Derived from Astragalus membranaceus

Miaoyin Dong et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Astragalus membranaceus (A. membranaceus), a well-known traditional herbal medicine, has been widely used in ailments for more than 2000 years. The main bioactive compounds including flavonoids, triterpene saponins and polysaccharides obtained from A. membranaceus have shown a wide range of biological activities and pharmacological effects. These bioactive compounds have a significant role in protecting the liver, immunomodulation, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antiinflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cardiovascular activities. The flavonoids are initially synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway, followed by catalysis with corresponding enzymes, while the triterpenoid saponins, especially astragalosides, are synthesized through the universal upstream pathways of mevalonate (MVA) and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP), and the downstream pathway of triterpenoid skeleton formation and modification. Moreover, the Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) possesses multiple pharmacological activities. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the biosynthesis pathway of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins, and the structural features of polysaccharides in A. membranaceus. We further systematically summarized the pharmacological effects of bioactive ingredients in A. membranaceus, which laid the foundation for the development of clinical candidate agents. Finally, we proposed potential strategies of heterologous biosynthesis to improve the industrialized production and sustainable supply of natural products with pharmacological activities from A. membranaceus, thereby providing an important guide for their future development trend.

Keywords: Astragalus membranaceus; biosynthesis; flavonoids; pharmacological activity; polysaccharides; triterpene saponins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Biosynthesis pathway of flavonoids in A. membranaceus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Biosynthesis pathway of triterpenoid saponins in A. membranaceus.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Astragalosides’ biosynthesis pathways from cycloartenol in A. membranaceus.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pharmacological activities of flavonoids, triterpene saponins and polysaccharides derived from A. membranaceus.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic presentation of the anticancer mechanisms of main bioactive compounds in A. membranaceus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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