{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T14:10:24Z","timestamp":1790691024788,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]],"date-time":"2023-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1688083200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge root is used as herbal medicine for its immunomodulating activities in Chinese medicine. Recently, beneficial properties of A. membranaceus on allergic diseases have been proposed. Here we investigated the role of a commercial extract of A. membranaceus, standardized to 16% polysaccharides, in regulating the immune-inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo and its therapeutic application in asthma. A. membranaceus extract inhibited prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene C4 production in stimulated J774 and peritoneal macrophages, respectively. The extract also reduced interlukin-1\u03b2, tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1, and nitrite production, affecting inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. In vivo experiments confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of A. membranaceus, as evident by a reduction in zymosan-induced peritoneal cellular infiltration and pro-inflammatory mediator production. The efficacy of A. membranaceus extract in modulating the immune response was confirmed in a model of allergic airway inflammation. Extracts improve lung function by inhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, and fibrosis. Its anti-asthmatic effects were further sustained by inhibition of the sensitization process, as indicated by a reduction of ovalbumin-induced IgE levels and the mounting of a Th2 immune response. In conclusion, our data demonstrate the anti-inflammatory properties of the commercial extract of A. membranaceus and its beneficial effects on asthma feature development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms241310954","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]],"date-time":"2023-06-30T16:06:37Z","timestamp":1688141197000},"page":"10954","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":48,"title":["Beneficial Effects of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge Extract in Controlling Inflammatory Response and Preventing Asthma Features"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6350-5191","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danilo","family":"D\u2019Avino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4363-7728","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ida","family":"Cerqua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9437-676X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hammad","family":"Ullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michele","family":"Spinelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80100 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rita","family":"Di Matteo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisabetta","family":"Granato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3335-1822","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raffaele","family":"Capasso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2697-9339","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucianna","family":"Maruccio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Armando","family":"Ialenti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4870-7713","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Daglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fiorentina","family":"Roviezzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3237-2584","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonietta","family":"Rossi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1275","DOI":"10.1002\/ptr.5188","article-title":"Review of the botanical characteristics, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi)","volume":"28","author":"Fu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Phytother. Res."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission (2015). Pharmacopoeia of the People\u2019s Republic of China, China Medical Science and Technology Press (CFDA)."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (2017). U.S. Pharmacopeia\/National Formulary, The United States Pharmacopeial Convention."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (2017). European Pharmacopoeia 8.0, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Japanese Pharmacopoeia Commission (2016). The Japanese Pharmacopoeia."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Korea Food and Drug Administration (2016). Korean Pharmacopoeia."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guo, Z., Lou, Y., Kong, M., Luo, Q., Liu, Z., and Wu, J. (2019). A Systematic Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics on Astragali Radix: Implications for Astragali Radix as a Personalized Medicine. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 20.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms20061463"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1225","DOI":"10.1016\/j.intimp.2005.02.020","article-title":"Macrophage activation by polysaccharide isolated from Astragalus membranaceus","volume":"5","author":"Lee","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int. Immunopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"289","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jep.2005.03.009","article-title":"Pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and nitric oxide regulation of aqueous extracted Astragali radix in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells","volume":"100","author":"Lee","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Ethnopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106609","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prostaglandins.2021.106609","article-title":"Role of arachidonic acid lipoxygenase pathway in Asthma","volume":"158","author":"Luo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1089\/jmf.2020.4750","article-title":"Astragalus polysaccharides attenuate ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis in rats by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and NOD2-mediated NF-\u03baB activation","volume":"24","author":"Xu","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Med. Food."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phrs.2014.05.011","article-title":"In vivo sex differences in leukotriene biosynthesis in zymosan-induced peritonitis","volume":"87","author":"Rossi","year":"2014","journal-title":"Pharmacol. Res."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"682","DOI":"10.1038\/nchembio.118","article-title":"Network pharmacology: The next paradigm in drug discovery","volume":"4","author":"Hopkins","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat. Chem. Biol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hamza, A.A., Lashin, F.M., Gamel, M., Hassanin, S.O., Abdalla, Y., and Amin, A. (2020). Hawthorn Herbal Preparation from Crataegus oxyacantha Attenuates In Vivo Carbon Tetrachloride -Induced Hepatic Fibrosis via Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation. Antioxidants, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/antiox9121173"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Juaid, N., Amin, A., Abdalla, A., Reese, K., Alamri, Z., Moulay, M., Abdu, S., and Miled, N. (2021). Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Biomolecules: Molecular Targets Insights. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 22.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms221910774"},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"462","article-title":"Non-surgical treatment of small cell lung cancer with chemo-radio-immunotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine","volume":"33","author":"Cha","year":"1994","journal-title":"Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi"},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"1065","article-title":"Preliminary efficacy and safety of oral suspension SH, combination of five chinese medicinal herbs, in people living with HIV\/AIDS; the phase I\/II study","volume":"87","author":"Kusum","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Med. Assoc. Thail."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4783","DOI":"10.1021\/jf025549r","article-title":"Metabolism of Biochanin A and Formononetin by Human Liver Microsomes in Vitro","volume":"50","author":"Tolleson","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.2174\/1871525718666200206114304","article-title":"Therapeutic Potential of Biochanin-A Against Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rats","volume":"18","author":"Govindasami","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cardiovasc. Hematol. Agents Med. Chem."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"949","DOI":"10.1359\/jbmr.080219","article-title":"Diosmetin induces human osteoblastic differentiation through the protein kinase C\/p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1\/2 pathway","volume":"23","author":"Hsu","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Bone Miner. Res."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"471","DOI":"10.2174\/1570159X14666160325120625","article-title":"Chlorogenic Acid and Mental Diseases: From Chemistry to Medicine","volume":"15","author":"Nabavi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Curr. Neuropharmacol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127824","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2020.127824","article-title":"Characterization of lipids, proteins, and bioactive compounds in the seeds of three Astragalus species","volume":"339","author":"Mahmoudi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"511","DOI":"10.1038\/nri3859","article-title":"Eicosanoid storm in infection and inflammation","volume":"15","author":"Dennis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Immunol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"651","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biochi.2010.02.007","article-title":"Prostaglandin E synthases: Understanding their pathophysiological roles through mouse genetic models","volume":"92","author":"Hara","year":"2010","journal-title":"Biochimie"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jep.2007.09.027","article-title":"Astragali Radix elicits anti-inflammation via activation of MKP-1, concomitant with attenuation of p38 and Erk","volume":"115","author":"Ryu","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Ethnopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1002\/ptr.5002","article-title":"Anti-inflammatory activities of an active fraction isolated from the root of Astragalus membranaceus in RAW 264.7 macrophages","volume":"28","author":"Lai","year":"2014","journal-title":"Phytother. Res."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1154","DOI":"10.1002\/mnfr.200500103","article-title":"Suppression of arachidonic acid metabolism and nitric oxide formation by kudzu isoflavones in murine macrophages","volume":"49","author":"Jun","year":"2005","journal-title":"Mol. Nutr. Food Res."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.1210\/endrev\/bnab004","article-title":"Macrophage Responses to Environmental Stimuli During Homeostasis and Disease","volume":"42","author":"Rasheed","year":"2021","journal-title":"Endocr. Rev."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"820","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2019.00820","article-title":"Formononetin: A Review of Its Anticancer Potentials and Mechanisms","volume":"10","author":"Tay","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5369","DOI":"10.1007\/s11033-023-08397-2","article-title":"Neuroprotective potential of biochanin-A and review of the molecular mechanisms involved","volume":"50","author":"Singh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Mol. Biol. Rep."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chen, C., Zhou, G., Chen, J., Liu, X., Lu, X., Chen, H., and Tian, Y. (2021). Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Unveils Novel Pathway Involved in the Formation of Yellow Peel in Cucumber. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 22.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms22031494"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1002\/ptr.2877","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of Astragalus membranaceus in the treatment of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis","volume":"24","author":"Matkovic","year":"2010","journal-title":"Phytother. Res."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Xu, S., Tian, B.P., Zhang, L.H., Hua, W., Xia, L.X., Chen, Z.H., Li, W., and Shen, H.H. (2013). Prevention of allergic airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling in mice by Astragali Radix antiasthmatic decoction. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 13.","DOI":"10.1186\/1472-6882-13-369"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14456","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jmedchem.2c00817","article-title":"Discovery and Optimization of Indoline-Based Compounds as Dual 5-LOX\/sEH Inhibitors: In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Characterization","volume":"65","author":"Cerqua","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Med. Chem."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ullah, H., Sommella, E., Santarcangelo, C., D\u2019avino, D., Rossi, A., Dacrema, M., Di Minno, A., Di Matteo, G., Mannina, L., and Campiglia, P. (2022). Hydroethanolic Extract of Prunus domestica L.: Metabolite Profiling and In Vitro Modulation of Molecular Mechanisms Associated to Cardiometabolic Diseases. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14020340"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phrs.2016.01.032","article-title":"The hallucinogenic diterpene salvinorin A inhibits leukotriene synthesis in experimental models of inflammation","volume":"106","author":"Rossi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Pharmacol. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"525","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2016.00525","article-title":"Salvinorin A Inhibits Airway Hyperreactivity Induced by Ovalbumin Sensitization","volume":"7","author":"Rossi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"857","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2017.00857","article-title":"Palmitoylethanolamide Supplementation during Sensitization Prevents Airway Allergic Symptoms in the Mouse","volume":"8","author":"Roviezzo","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104905","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phrs.2020.104905","article-title":"5\u03b1-dihydrotestosterone abrogates sex bias in asthma like features in the mouse","volume":"158","author":"Cerqua","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pharmacol. Res."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Molecular Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/24\/13\/10954\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T20:04:04Z","timestamp":1760126644000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/24\/13\/10954"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"13","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]}},"alternative-id":["ijms241310954"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijms241310954","relation":{},"ISSN":["1422-0067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1422-0067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]]}}}