Phytochemical and biological investigation of Astragalus Caprinus L.

Background: cultivated and wild plants are used to treat different ailments. The Astragalus genus is found in temperate and dry climates; thus, it is found in Egypt and the arab world. Astragalus caprinus has a good amount of bioactive chemicals, which may help explain its therapeutic effects in reducing the risk of consequences from disease.

Method: The phytochemical investigation of the herb and roots of Astragalus caprinus L. included the analytical characterization for the petroleum ether components by GC/MS, unsaponifiable matter (unsap. fraction), and fatty acids (FAME) investigation by GLC analysis. Main flavonoids were chromatographically isolated from ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts. In vitro antimicrobial activity has been tested against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans for different plant extracts, the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia, the fungus Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, and the Escherichia coli bacterium. Metabolite cytotoxicity was examined using the MTT assay against HepG-2 (human liver carcinoma) and MCF-7 (breast carcinoma).

Results: Identifying the important components of the herb and root petroleum ether extracts was achieved. Using column chromatography, luteolin, cosmosiin (apigenin-7-O-glucoside), and cynaroside (luteolin-7-O-glucoside) were separated and identified using UV, NMR, and Mass Spectroscopy. Root extracts displayed potential antimicrobial activity against most of the tested pathogens. Both extracts (herb and roots) were active against the MCF-7 cell line and HepG-2 cell line with IC₅₀ 62.5 ± 0.64 and 72.4 ± 2.3 µg/ml, and 75.9 ± 2.5 and 96.8 ± 4.2 µg/ml, respectively.

Conclusion: Astragalus caprinus seems to be a promising source of bioactive compounds that could potentially aid in preventing disease complications and address common health issues in developing countries. Moreover, the various parts of this plant could be utilized as natural raw materials for producing health-boosting products that could address common health issues in developing countries.