Comparative analysis of chemical profiles of Radix Astragali between ultrafine granular powder and traditional sliced mate-rials

Authors: CAO, LIANG - University Of Mississippi; Wang, Mei; ZHAO, JIANPING - University Of Mississippi; PENG, LI-HUA - Zhongshan Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group; CHENG, JIN-LE - Zhongshan Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group; QIU, SHI - University Of Mississippi; KHAN, IKHLAS - University Of Mississippi; LI, XING-CONG - University Of Mississippi

Submitted to: Medicinal Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/5/2022
Publication Date: 9/30/2022
Citation: Cao, L., Wang, M., Zhao, J., Peng, L., Cheng, J., Qiu, S., Khan, I., Li, X. 2022. Comparative analysis of chemical profiles of Radix Astragali between ultrafine granular powder and traditional sliced mate-rials. Medicinal Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.48130/MPB-2022-0004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.48130/MPB-2022-0004

Interpretive Summary: Radix Astragali prepared from dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao or Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. is one of the most popular herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to strengthen the immune system, protect the liver function, fight bacteria and viruses, and treat diabetes, heart failure, and seasonal allergies. In recent years, a new form of Radix Astragali material, namely ultrafine granular powder (UGP), has been introduced into the market. With the growing use of this UGP material, an understanding of its chemical profiles is critical in assessing its potential clinical efficacy. In the present study, the two chemotypes of small-molecule compounds, isoflavones and triterpenoids glycosides, which were previously identified from Radix Astragali were selected as marker compounds to compare the chemical consistency and homogeneity between UGP and TM of Radix Astragali by UHPLC/DAD-MS. In addition, polysaccharides, an important biologically active constituent of Radix Astragali, were prepared from the two materials for comparison of their chemical profiles and dissolution rates. The results indicated that the UGP material of Radix Astragali is not only identical or similar to the traditional slices in terms of small-molecule metabolite profiles, but also chemically homogenous over traditional slices, laying a foundation of the material basis to support the use of UGP in TCM. In addition, the UGP material was demonstrated to possess similar chemical profiles for the bioactive polysaccharides, but have better release rates compared to the traditional slices. The UGP material is a significant advancement overcoming the batch-to-batch inconsistency of the traditional slices, and would have a great promise to be used in a TCM prescription or as a dietary supplement.

Technical Abstract: Radix Astragali is one of the most popular herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to strengthen the immune system, protect liver function, fight bacteria and viruses, and treat diabetes, heart failure, and seasonal allergies. In recent years, one new form of Radix Astragali material processed with the cell wall disrupting technology, namely ultrafine granular powder (UGP) has been introduced into the market. In order to compare the chemical compositions and bioactive compounds of the UGP and traditional sliced materials (TM) of Radix Astragali, multiple batches of the UGP and TM samples derived from Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus were analyzed by UHPLC/DAD-MS using isoflavones and triterpenoids as marker compounds. The results demonstrated that the chemical profile of UGP was identical or similar to that of TM, but UGP was highly homogenized in terms of the contents of the marker compounds. Macromolecular com-ponent preparation and analysis indicated that both UGP and TM produced similar polysaccha-rides, but the former had a higher dissolution rate when compared to TM. This study confirms that UGP of Radix Astragali possesses advantages of chemical consistency and homogeneity, improved dissolution, and ease of use over TM, supporting UGP as an improved form to be used in a TCM prescription or as a dietary supplement.