Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant and antitumour activities of Astragalus membranaceus aqueous extract

Abstract

Aqueous extracts of Astragalus membranaceus (AMEE) were prepared in this study. In vitro antioxidant and antitumour activities of aqueous extracts of A. membranaceus were evaluated. The aqueous extracts exhibited could effectively scavenge superoxide anion, Hydrogen peroxide, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and reduce 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH)-induced human erythrocytes hemolysis. Moreover, aqueous extracts of A. membranaceus could still effectively dose-dependently inhibit against the human Gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 and human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells growth at the given dose range. The results indicate that the aqueous extracts of A. membranaceus have a very potent antioxidant and antitumour activity.