Flowers of <i>Astragalus membranaceus</i> var. <i>mongholicus</i> as a Novel High Potential By-Product: Phytochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Activity
Yuan Li,
Sheng Guo,
Yue Zhu,
Hui Yan,
Da-wei Qian,
Han-qing Wang,
Jian-qiang Yu,
Jin-ao Duan
Affiliations
Yuan Li
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Sheng Guo
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Yue Zhu
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Hui Yan
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Da-wei Qian
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Han-qing Wang
School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Jian-qiang Yu
School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Jin-ao Duan
School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750021, China
The root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus is one of the most popular herbal medicines worldwide. In order to increase the yield of underground roots of A. membranaceus var. mongholicus, its flowers (AMF) have often been removed in their flowering stage, which produces the flowers as waste being discarded. To explore its phytochemicals and potential value for utilization, the antioxidant activities of extracts from AMF were evaluated by a free radical scavenging assay and reducing power assay. The total phenols and flavonoids, as well as the individual compounds, in different extracts of AMF were also investigated. The results showed that the extract ME obtained from AMF through macroporous resins separation exhibited strong antioxidant activities, which were close to those of positive control BHT. ME was rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, and the contents reached 108.42 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 265.70 mg rutin equivalents/g, respectively. A total of 31 compounds, including four phenolic acids, nineteen flavonoids, three isoflavones, two pterocarpans, and three saponins, were identified using UPLC-QTOF-MS in ME. Quantitative analysis of sixteen components in the extracts of AMF showed that flavonoids were the predominant constituents, especially for the compounds of hyperoside, rutin, and isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucoside.
