Exploring the In Vivo Existence Forms (23 Original Constituents and 147 Metabolites) of Astragali Radix Total Flavonoids and Their Distributions in Rats Using HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn

Herb-drug interaction potential of Astragali Radix: a metabolic perspective

Astragali Radix (AR) is one of the most widely used herbs in Asia and has a wide range of biological activities. These activities are attributed to its various compounds like flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides. AR and its major components are often used in combination with other drugs for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and cerebral ischemia. With the expanding range of AR combinations, the potential for herb-drug interaction (HDI) has been raised. Key targets in HDI studies include drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transporters. Existing studies have shown that AR and its major components have various regulatory effects on these targets, notably CYP2C9, CYP3A4, UGT1A6, and P-gp. AR may contribute to HDI when it is taken with substrates of these biomolecules, such as tolbutamide, midazolam, and digoxin. However, there are also different views in the current study, such as the effect of AR on CYP3A4. To better understand the interactions of AR with drugs, we review the metabolic pathways and pharmacokinetic parameters of the main components of AR. Meanwhile, the regulatory effects and mechanisms of AR on DMEs and transporters are summarized to provide a theoretical and technical basis for the rational use of AR in clinical practice.

Preliminary Exploration of Potential Active Ingredients and Molecular Mechanisms of Yanggan Yishui Granules for Treating Hypertensive Nephropathy Using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS Coupled with Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Strategy

Hypertensive nephropathy (HN) is a prevalent complication of hypertension and stands as the second primary reason for end-stage renal disease. Research in clinical settings has revealed that Yanggan Yishui Granule (YGYSG) has significant therapeutic effects on HN. However, the material basis and action mechanisms of YGYSG against HN remain unclear. Consequently, this study utilized a comprehensive method integrating ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS), network pharmacology, and molecular docking to delineate the active ingredients and potential therapeutic mechanisms of YGYSG for treating HN. Firstly, sixty distinct components were recognized in total as potential active ingredients in YGYSG by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Subsequently, the mechanisms of YGYSG against HN were revealed for the first time using network pharmacology. 23 ingredients played key roles in the complete network and were the key active ingredients, which could affect the renin-angiotensin system, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications by regulating 29 key targets such as TNF, IL6, ALB, EGFR, ACE, and MMP2. YGYSG could treat HN through the suppression of inflammatory response and oxidative stress, attenuating the proliferation of renal vascular smooth muscle cells, lessening glomerular capillary systolic pressure, and ameliorating renal dysfunction and vascular damage through the aforementioned targets and pathways. Molecular docking results revealed that most key active ingredients exhibited a high affinity for binding to the key targets. This study pioneers in clarifying the bioactive compounds and molecular mechanisms of YGYSG against HN and offers scientific reference into the clinical application.

Radical Scavenging Capability and Mechanism of Three Isoflavonoids Extracted from Radix Astragali: A Theoretical Study

As a valuable traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Radix Astragali has attracted much attention due to its extensive pharmacological activities. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) was used thermodynamically and kinetically in detail to predict the antioxidant activity and reaction mechanisms involved in the free radical scavenging reactions of three representative isoflavonoids (formononetin, calycosin, and calycosin-7-glucoside) extracted from Radix Astragali. Three main mechanisms, including hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), proton transfer after electron transfer (SET-PT), and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) were examined by calculating the thermodynamic parameters. It was found that HAT is the predominant mechanism in the gas phase, while SPLET is supported in the solvent environment. The isoflavonoids' order of antioxidant activity was estimated as: calycosin > calycosin-7-glucoside > formononetin. For the calycosin compound, the result revealed the feasibility of double HAT mechanisms, which involve the formation of stable benzodioxazole with significantly reduced energy in the second H⁺/e^- reaction. In addition, the potential energy profiles and kinetic calculations show that the reaction of ^•OH into the 3'-OH site of calycosin has a lower energy barrier (7.2 kcal/mol) and higher rate constant (4.55 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1) compared with other reactions in the gas phase.

Advances in the chemical constituents, pharmacological properties and clinical applications of TCM formula Yupingfeng San

Yupingfeng San (YPFS) is a famous and commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, respiratory tract infections, and pneumonia in China. It is composed of three Chinese herbs, including Astragali Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix. In this review, the relevant references on YPFS were searched in the Web of Science, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and other databases. Literatures published from 2000 to 2022 were screened and summarized. The constituents in YPFS could be classified into nine groups according to their structures, including flavonoids, saponins, essential oils, coumarins, lactones, amino acids, organic acids, saccharides, chromones and others. The importance of chemical constituents in YPFS were demonstrated for specific pathological processes including immunoregulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and pulmonary diseases. This article systematically reviewed the up-to-date information on its chemical compositions, pharmacology and safety, that could be used as essential data and reference for clinical applications of YPFS.

Simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic study of six components in beagle dog plasma by UPLC-MS/MS after oral administration of Astragalus Membranaceus aqueous extract

Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) is widely applied in Chinese herbal compound formulas for treating various kinds of diseases. However, relative pharmacokinetics data on AM in nonrodents is still lacking. Here, an UPLC-MS/MS method for determining the six main compounds of AM was developed. The chromatographic separation was carried out by a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) with gradient elution of water-formic acid (99.98:0.02, v/v) and acetonitrile-formic acid (99.98:0.02, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min within 11 min. Analyses of all compounds were conducted in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a positive/negative ion-switching mode of an electrospray ionization source in a single run. The analytical method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, stability, etc. The method showed excellent linearity (r > 0.999) over certain concentration ranges. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were evaluated, and the RSD values were <12.4%. Furthermore, the validated method was successfully applied to determine the six components in plasma after oral administration of AM aqueous extract to beagle dogs and the pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained. Together, this study provides a reference for medication in the clinical practice of AM.

Astragalus and its formulas as a therapeutic option for fibrotic diseases: Pharmacology and mechanisms

Fibrosis is the abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix, characterized by accumulation of collagen and other extracellular matrix components, which causes organ dysfunction and even death. Despite advances in understanding fibrosis pathology and clinical management, there is no treatment for fibrosis that can prevent or reverse it, existing treatment options may lead to diarrhea, nausea, bleeding, anorexia, and liver toxicity. Thus, effective drugs are needed for fibrotic diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine has played a vital role in fibrotic diseases, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that Astragalus (Astragalus mongholicus Bunge) can attenuate multiple fibrotic diseases, which include liver fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, peritoneal fibrosis, renal fibrosis, cardiac fibrosis, and so on, mechanisms may be related to inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), reactive oxygen species (ROS), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)/Smads, apoptosis, inflammation pathways. The purpose of this review was to summarize the pharmacology and mechanisms of Astragalus in treating fibrotic diseases, the data reviewed demonstrates that Astragalus is a promising anti-fibrotic drug, its main anti-fibrotic components are Calycosin, Astragaloside IV, Astragalus polysaccharides and formononetin. We also review formulas that contain Astragalus with anti-fibrotic effects, in which Astragalus and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Astragalus and Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels are the most commonly used combinations. We propose that combining active components into new formulations may be a promising way to develop new drugs for fibrosis. Besides, we expect Astragalus to be accepted as a clinically effective method of treating fibrosis.

Study on the metabolism profile of flavanomarein in Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt

Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. (family Asteraceae) is a popular medicine-food plant, which improves chronic diseases such as hyperlipemia, hypertension, and diabetes. Flavanomarein is the main active component of Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt, in which the blood concentration of volunteers is low and bioavailability is poor. Thus, the understanding of flavanomarein metabolites and metabolic pathways is significant to clarify its effectiveness. This study systematically studied the metabolites of flavanomarein by oral and injection. The biological samples (feces, urine, and plasma) were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in negative ion mode. The metabolic law of flavanomarein in the liver was further verified by a liver microsomal incubation experiment in vitro. A total of 12 metabolites were identified by oral administration while 15 metabolites were detected by injection. It was shown that metabolic pathways include acetylation, hydroxylation, glucuronidation, methylation, dehydrogenation, etc. The liver extraction rate of flavanomarein was 0.08, which means the metabolic stability of flavanomarein is well in rats' liver microsomes. It is a systematic study on the metabolism of flavanomarein and provides a metabolic rationale for further in-depth in vivo biotransformation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.