Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (Fabaceae): Bioactive Compounds and Potential Therapeutic Mechanisms Against Alzheimer's Disease

Qianyu Dong; Zhen Li; Qian Zhang; Yueyu Hu; Huazheng Liang; Lize Xiong

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.924429

Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (Fabaceae): Bioactive Compounds and Potential Therapeutic Mechanisms Against Alzheimer's Disease

Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jun 28:13:924429. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924429. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Qianyu Dong^{1

2

3

4}, Zhen Li^{1

2

3

4}, Qian Zhang^{1

2

3

4}, Yueyu Hu^{3

5}, Huazheng Liang^{1

2

3

4}, Lize Xiong^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Shanghai, China.
² Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
³ Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (Fabaceae) (also known as Astragali radix-AR), a widely used herb by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, possesses a wide range of pharmacological effects, and has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) historically. Its bioactive compounds are categorized into four families: saponins, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and others. AR's bioactive compounds are effective in managing AD through a variety of mechanisms, including inhibiting Aβ production, aggregation and tau hyperphosphorylation, protecting neurons against oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and apoptosis, promoting neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation and ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction. This review aims to shed light upon the chemical constituents of AR and the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of each compound in manging AD. Also presented are clinical studies which reported successful management of AD with AR and other herbs. These will be helpful for drug development and clinical application of AR to treat AD.

Keywords: Astragali radix; alzheimer’s disease; bioactive compound; molecular mechanism; traditional Chinese medicine.

Publication types

Review