Total phenolic and flavonoid contents, cytotoxic, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential of whole plant of Astragalus creticus (Fabaceae)

Abstract

Purpose: To determine total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the cytotoxic, immunemodulatoryand anti-inflammatory potentials of the whole plant of Astragalus creticus (Fabaceae).Methods: Folin-Ciocalteu (FCR) method was used for determination of total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanol and dichloromethane extracts of Astragalus creticus. The cytotoxic potential of the extracts on 3T3 and HeLa cell lines were evaluated using MTT assay. Brine shrimp larvae mortality was determined by lethality bioassay, while inhibitory effects were determined on mouse fibroblast (3T3)and cervical cancer (HeLa) cell lines. In vitro immunomodulatory and in vivo anti-inflammatory effectswere assessed using reactive oxygen species (ROS) chemiluminescence and formalin-induced rat paw edema assays, respectively.Results: Dichloromethane extract had higher contents of phenolics (TPC = 324.75 ± 2.47 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (TFC = 95.51 ± 0.82 QE/g) than the methanol extract (TPC = 79.82 ± 1.53 mg GAE/g, TFC = 56.11 ± 0.93 QE/g). The dichloromethane extract exhibited high cytotoxic andimmunomodulatory potentials, with 76.66 % mortality in brine shrimp lethality bioassay and 83.9 % inhibition (IC50 = 18.0 ± 1.1 μg/mL) in chemiluminescence assay. The extract also resulted in 22 and 13 % inhibition of viability of HeLa and 3T3 cells, respectively, while the methanol extract produced 13 % inhibition of both cell lines. The methanol extract produced very significant anti-inflammatory activity,with a maximum of 49 % inhibition of paw edema at a dose of 160 mg/kg (p < 0.01).Conclusion: These results suggest that the dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Astragalus creticus (Fabaceae) exert cytotoxic, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. These findings provide scientific validation for the traditional medicinal use of the Astragalus genus.

Bioactivity of Wild and Cultivated Legumes: Phytochemical Content and Antioxidant Properties

“…In particular, the TPC value for T. repens flowers extract is calculated as 192.0 mg GAE/g extract [ 50 ], a value significantly higher than the reported herein TPC values of 24.228 and 27.7 mg GAE/g for T. repens and T. physodes , pointing out their flowers as the primary source of phenolics. This assumption is reinforced by reports for the TPC of T. pratense ranging from 44.4 to 53.7 mg/kg of dry matter [ 40 ], values in line with present findings adjusted in accordance with their extract yield. The amounts of condensed tannins detected in seeds, flowers, and leaves of T. repens highlighted flowers having the highest content (13–79 mg/g) and leaves with poorest (not detected–0.6 mg/g).…”

“…A thorough literature review of previous research results concerning the studied Fabaceae plants verified that the TPC and TTC values for T. physodes and C. incisum extracts are reported herein for first-time. A similar observation also applies to the determination of L. laxiflorus TPC [ 38 ], A. creticus TPC [ 39 ], and TTC [ 40 ], C. arientinum TTC [ 41 ], B. bituminosa [ 42 , 43 ], and A. glycyphyllos TPC [ 44 ]. It must be noted that T. repens , a widely cultivated forage crop, comprises the only well-documented plant in the literature with numerous studies.…”

“…Finally, for the rarely studied plants of the Astrgalus genus, there are only literature reports on the phenolic content of A. creticus [ 39 ] and A. glycyphyllos [ 46 ] and one, not quantified, report [ 40 ] for the tannin content of A. creticus . The respective TPC values are 79.82 mg GAE/g dry material for A. creticus methanolic extract, while for the ethanolic-aqueous extracts of A. glycyphyllos at flowering and branching stages are, respectively 18,500 and 17,100 mg GAE/kg of dry matter [ 44 ].…”

Cytotoxicity of Astragalus hamosus Phenolic Compounds on Cancer Cell Lines AMJ13 and SK-GT-4

“…Condensation of chromatin, visualized by acridine orange fluorescence, is one of the morphological alterations found during apoptosis. This results from the PAR extract effect, which merges infected cells with surrounding cells, resulting in multinucleated giant cells and cell death by apoptotic or nonapoptotic mechanisms in a variety of human malignant cells [28].…”

Inhibitory Mechanism of Quercimeritrin as a Novel α-Glucosidase Selective Inhibitor

“…Flavonoid glycosides can bind noncovalently to active site residues of enzymes and have variable structural properties, so they have the potential for the selective inhibition of α-glucosidase [ 14 ]. In addition, the literature has shown that extracts of Astragalus creticus, containing quercimeritrin among other secondary metabolites, demonstrated antioxidant potential and good inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme [ 15 ]. Recent studies showed that other flavones, tricetin and genkwanin, exhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities, respectively [ 16 , 17 ], while linarin could prevent the action of α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes [ 18 ].…”