Astragalus Mongholicus: A review of its anti-fibrosis properties

Abstract

Background: Fibrosis-related diseases (FRD) include cerebral fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac fibrosis, liver fibrosis, renal fibrosis, peritoneal fibrosis, etc. The effects of fibrosis can be severe, resulting in organ dysfunction, functional decline, and even organ failure, which can cause serious health problems.Aim: Currently, there is no effective modern medicine for anti-fibrosis in the clinics; however, Chinese medicine has a certain beneficial effect on treating such diseases. Astragalus Mongholicus (AM) has rich medicinal value, and its anti-fibrosis effect has been recently investigated. In recent years, more and more experimental studies have been conducted on the intervention of astragaloside IV (AS-IV), astragalus polysaccharide (APS), astragalus flavone, cycloastragalus alcohol, astragalus water extract and other pharmacological components in fibrosis-related diseases, attracting the interest of researchers. We aim to provide ideas for future research by summarizing recent research advances of AM in treating fibrosis-related diseases.Methods: A literature search was conducted from the core collections of electronic databases such as Baidu Literature, Sciencen.com, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct using the above keywords and the pharmacological and phytochemical details of the plant.Results: AM can be used to intervene in fibrosis-disease progression by regulating inflammation, oxidative stress, the immune system, and metabolism.Conclusion: AS-IV, APS, and astragalus flavone were studied and discussed in detail. These components have high potential anti-fibrosis activity. Overall, this review aims to gain insight into the AM’s role in treating fibro-related diseases.

Traditional Chinese medicine inspired dual-drugs loaded inhalable nano-therapeutics alleviated idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by targeting early inflammation and late fibrosis

“…As effective bioactive components of A. membranaceus and L. chuanxiong , these factors have similar positive pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunoregulatory effects [ 44 – 46 ]. Existing evidence has demonstrated that AS-IV exerts antifibrotic effects through multiple signaling pathways in various fibrotic diseases, including TGF-β1/SMAD, p38 MAPK, NLRP3 inflammasomes, NOX4/p38 MAPK, and others [ 16 – 18 , 47 ].…”

Astragaloside IV Blunts Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and G2/M Arrest to Alleviate Renal Fibrosis via Regulating ALDH2-Mediated Autophagy

“…Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a very large role in the prevention and treatment of CKD [ 56 , 57 ]. Recently, accumulating articles have reported that Astragalus Mongholicus (AM) , as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has a rich medicinal value, and recently, its anti-fibrosis effect has been increasingly investigated [ 58 ]. AS-IV, the main active component of saponins extracted from AM, has been reported to have various pharmacological activities, including regulation of the calcium ion equilibrium [ 59 ] and anti-oxidative [ 60 ], anti-apoptotic [ 61 ], and anti-fibrosis [ 62 ] functions.…”

Astragaloside IV inhibits idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through activation of autophagy by miR-21-mediated PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

“…At present, there is no specific treatment for IPF, but traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has distinct superiorities in IPF therapy, and numerous studies have revealed that TCM can mitigate the symptoms and lung function of IPF patients [5]. Astragalus is one of the most frequently used supplements in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis [6]. Its main active ingredients include saponins, flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids and so on [7].…”