Study of the effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus on atherosclerosis formation and potential mechanisms

Deqing Wang, Yuan Zhuang, Yaping Tian, Graham Neil Thomas, Mingzhong Ying, Brian Tomlinson

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    39 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Astragalus mongholicus Bunge has long been used to treat cardiovascular disease in Chinese traditional medicine. However, its mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we explored potential mechanisms and protective effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) on cardiovascular disease using in vitro experiments and diet-induced atherosclerotic rabbits. We identified six components and their proportion in TFA. The animal experiments showed that TFA significantly reduced plasma levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (P < 0.05 to 0.01), increased HDL cholesterol levels (P < 0.01), and reduced the aortic fatty streak area by 43.6 to 63.6% (P < 0.01). We also found that TFA scavenged superoxide and hydroxyl radicals and this effect increased with higher TFA concentration. In in vivo experiments, TFA effectively inhibited the free radical spectrum in the ischemia-reperfusion module. In conclusion, TFA was the active component of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge, which benefits cardiovascular disease attributing to the potent antioxidant activity to improve the atherosclerosis profile.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)282383
    JournalOxidative medicine and cellular longevity
    Volume2012
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

    Keywords

    • Animals
    • Aorta
    • Astragalus Plant
    • Atherosclerosis
    • Cholesterol
    • Cholesterol, HDL
    • Cholesterol, LDL
    • Disease Models, Animal
    • Flavonoids
    • Free Radical Scavengers
    • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
    • Rabbits
    • Reperfusion Injury

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