Abstract
BACKGROUND: Radix astragali mainly contains saponins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, amino acids and other chemical constituents of which total astragalosides have immunomodulatory, anti-viral, hepatoprotective, and gastric mucosa protective effects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the process conditions for extraction, purification and enrichment of total astragalosides by macroporous adsorption resin, and to study the inhibitory effect of total astragalosides on growth of human gastric cancer cell line MKN-74. METHODS: UV spectrophotometry was applied to determine the adsorption and desorption capacity of macroporous adsorption resin on total astragaloside content, MTT assay was used to determine the inhibition of MKN-74 cell growth by total astragalosides. RESULTS: The dynamic adsorption performance of DA201 adsorption resin was examined, and the dynamic adsorption curve of total astragalosides on DA201 resin column was plotted. Meanwhile, eluent and elution flow rate were investigated, the results showed that the choice of eluent of 80% ethanol, and a flow rate of 5 BV/h could maximize the yield of total astragalosides. MTT assay found that astragalosides could relatively pronouncedly inhibit the proliferation of MKN-74 cells, and the inhibitory effect was enhanced with the increase of astragaloside dose and the extension of processing time, which showed a dose-and time-dependence. CONCLUSION: DA201 resin can effectively enrich total astragalosides, total astragalosides have an inhibitory effect on growth of MKN-74 cells.