Aleksandar Shkondrov

Medical University of Sofia · Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany

Astragalus glycyphyllos is a widely distributed plant found in Bulgaria that has been used in the folk medicine of the country for decades as an antihypertensive, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory. This review article is focused on the traditional usage, phytochemical studies, pharmacological activity, and biotechnology of this species. Recent progre...

Astragalus glycyphyllos (Fabaceae) is used in the traditional medicine of many countries against hepatic and cardiac disorders. The plant contains mainly flavonoids and saponins. From a defatted methanol extract from its overground parts, a new triterpenoid saponin, 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-xylopyranosyl]-24-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-3β,6α,...

An in vitro/in vivo hepatotoxicity and hepatoprotection evaluation of a defatted extract and a phenolic fraction from Phlomis tuberosa, administered alone and in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced metabolic bioactivation model, was performed. The extract and the phenolic fraction were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to...

Phlomis tuberosa L. (Lamiaceae) is a flowering perennial plant, native to Eurasia, and sparsely distributed in Bulgaria. The species has been proved to accumulate flavonoids, iridoids, phenolic glycosides, as well as essential oil. To now, there is no information on the chemical content of Bulgarian essential oil from the plant. The aim was to stud...

Citation: Kadinov B, Shkondrov A, Angelov B, Krasteva I, Kondeva-Burdina M (2023) In vitro effects of alcesefoliside and mauri-tianin, isolated from Astragalus monspessulanus subsp. monspessulanus, on the contractility of a. basilaris. Pharmacia 70(1): 15-19. Abstract Flavonoids are one of the most popular antioxidants in plants. Their varied pharm...

Some of the most effective anticancer compounds are still derived from plants since the chemical synthesis of chiral molecules is not economically efficient. Rapid discovery of lead compounds with pronounced biological activity is essential for the successful development of novel drug candidates. This work aims to present the chemical diversity of...

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a variety of diagnostic criteria: obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and arterial hypertension. They contribute to the elevated risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The potential for Amorpha fruticosa L. (Fabaceae) to improve diabetes and metabolic disease is promising, based on in vitro tests....

Sophora japonica is a source of several flavonol, flavone and isoflavone glycosides that are reported to positively affect menopausal symptoms including osteoporotic complications. In the present study fructus Sophorae extract (FSE) was administered orally for three months at a dose of 200 mg kg –1 in ovariectomized (OVX) New Zealand rabbits. 3D co...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic, and carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic effect of Amorpha fruticosa (AF) fruit, Ailanthus altissima bark hexane (AAEH) and methanol (AAEM) extracts on a model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Plants were identified and extracted by Ekaterina Kozuh...

Abstract The hepatoprotective potential of alcesefoliside (AF) from Astragalus monspessulanus was investigated. Iron sulphate/ascorbic acid (Fe2+/AA) lipid peroxidation was induced in rat liver microsomes and pre-incubated with AF and silybin (100, 10 and 1 µmol). Pronounced effects were observed in 100 µmol. In vivo experiments were carried out on...

Effects of increased concentration of calcium chloride on growth and production of flavonoids in newly established shoot and callus Gypsophila glomerata cultures were studied. The highest impact of CaCl 2 on the growth index was determined in callus cultures (GI = 0.92), while in shoot cultures calcium treatment reduced the amount of biomass (GI =...

Astragalus hamosus contains valuable biologically active compounds, incl. flavonoids. The possibility for in vitro cultivation of the species as a source of important flavonoids was studied. Shoot and callus cultures were established and successfully cultivated on different nutrition media, complemented or not with growth regulators. An ultra-high...

Xanthium strumarium L. (Asteraceae) is a commonly distributed weed and invasive species to Bulgarian flora. Previous reports focussed on the composition of stem and leaf essential oils and gave possible medicinal use of this species. The aim of this study was to obtain an essential oil by hydro-distillation from the fruits of X. strumarium growing...

The phytochemical content of some Astragalus species distributed in Bulgarian flora has been previously studied. Among other compounds, flavoalkaloids, acylated flavonoids, flavonoid triglycosides and cycloartane saponins have been isolated so far. The composition of the rest of the representatives of this genus in Bulgaria is not explored yet. The...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Astragalus glycyphyllos L. has been extensively used in Bulgarian folk medicine as an antihypertensive, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, in cases of cardiac insufficiency, renal inflammation, calculosis, etc. Aim of the study To evaluate the possible in vitro/in vivo anti-proliferative/anti-tumour activity o...

Astragalus hamosus and Astragalus corniculatus were examined for the presence of flavoalkaloids, acylated and highly glycosylated flavonoids. Non-purified extracts of the overground parts of the species were subjected to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography – high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRESIMS) analysis...

The effects of synthetic muscimol and an extract from Amanita muscaria , containing this compound on the activity of human recombinant MAOB enzyme (hMAOB) were studied. Muscimol had statistically significant inducing effect on hMAOB at concentrations 0.25–5 μM, while A. muscaria extract did not influence the enzyme activity at all.

Many species of genus Astragalus have been extensively studied for their wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant, cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitumour, anti-infective, immune-boosting, antihypertensive and antidiabetic effects. This study presents an in vitro evaluation of the anticancer and immunomodulating properties o...

Amanita muscaria , commonly known as fly agaric, is a basidiomycete. Its main psychoactive constituents are ibotenic acid and muscimol, both involved in ‘pantherina-muscaria’ poisoning syndrome. The rising pharmacological and toxicological interest based on lots of contradictive opinions concerning the use of Amanita muscaria extracts’ neuroprotect...

Mauritianin is a relatively rare flavonoid, but several studies revealed its pharmacological potential. In this study overground parts of ten Astragalus species were investigated for mauritianin content to find a reliable source of the compound. The quantity of the flavonoid in each extract was determined by a novel high performance liquid chromato...

Establishment of in vitro cultures from Astragalus glycyphyllos , determination of biomass and analysis of total flavonoids, rutin and camelliaside A were performed. To increase flavonoid production various combinations of plant hormones and light/dark regimen were investigated. Suspension cultures with exogenous quercetin were evaluated for possib...

As a result of the blooming, certain Cyanobacteria (i.e., Microcystis) produce toxins, at concentrations that could be toxic. In this study, a group of the early detection markers for toxic microalgae were selected and applied. Samples from three Bulgarian dams, used as a source of drinking water for the general population, were tested via real tim...

Ruscus aculeatus is a source of steroidal saponins that could mimic sex hormones and could help alleviate the risk of fracture in osteoporotic patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of an extract from R. aculeatus (ERA) on the proliferation of human osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cell line and to investigate the effects...

Muscimol is the main compound found in Amanita muscaria. Several studies have proven that muscimol has suppressive effects on essential tremor, without impairing speech and coordination. The effects of muscimol in Parkinson-affected patients is also described in a number of studies. These studies describe the free radical scavenging and antioxidant...

Triterpenoids are well known modulators of metabolic syndrome. One of the suggested modes of action (MoAs) involves peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) binding. In this study we aimed to: (i) evaluate in silico potential metabolites and PPARγ-mediated MoA of the sapogenin of the main saponin present in a purified saponins' mixt...

In the last decade the need of plant-derived cytotoxic compounds exceeds the possibilities for obtaining them from naturally grown sources. In vitro plant biotechnology offers a unique and often invaluable alternative for production of complex biologically active substances without harming the flora. Astragalus glycyphyllos L. (Fabaceae) is a plant...

A new tetracyclic saponin, 17(R),20(R)-3β,6α,16β-trihydroxycycloartanyl-23-carboxylic acid 16-lactone 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) together with one known flavonoid, camelliaside A (2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Astragalus glycyphyllos L. Their structures were determined by chemical, HRESIMS and NMR methods. On 6-hydroxydopamine in vitro...

This study investigated the possible antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of alcesefoliside, isolated from Astragalus monspessulanus L., Fabaceae, against carbon tetrachloride (CCl⁴)-induced brain injury in Wistar rats. Iron sulphate/ascorbic acid lipid peroxidation was induced in rat brain microsomes and pre-incubated with alcesefoliside and si...

Two novel compounds from A. glycyphylloides DC (1–2) and three rare flavonoids from A. spruneri Boiss. (3–5), alongside their neuroprotective activity and possible effects as human monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors were reported. The structural elucidation of the compounds was achieved by chemical, HRESIMS and NMR analyses. Their effects were inv...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of Astragalus spruneri (Fabaceae) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Hypertension is a non-communicable disease and oxidative stress is regarded as one of the main pathophysiological mechanisms. Defatted extract of A. spruneri (EAS) was administered at a dose of 100 mg/kg bw (1/...

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of a defatted extract (EAS) and three flavonoids, isolated from Astragalus spruneri Boiss. (Fabaceae) using in vitro/in vivo models of liver injury. The EAS was characterized by HPLC and flavonoids (14 mg/g dw) and saponins (8 mg/g dw) were proved. The flavonoids (ASF1, ASF3 and ASF5) were iso...

The metabolic syndrome, which includes hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, has reached an epidemic-like scale. Saponins and sapogenins are considered as valuable natural products for ameliorating this pathology, possibly through the nuclear receptor PPARγ activation. The aims of this study were: to look for in vivo antidiabetic effects...

Species from the genus Gypsophila are known for their medicinal, industrial and decorative applications. G. trichotoma Wend. is an endangered plant species for the Bulgarian flora according to the Red Data Book. Delta(7) -Sterols, which are unusual and rare in the plant kingdom, are present in the roots of this species. In previous studies differen...

Species from the genus Gypsophila are known for their medicinal, industrial and decorative applications. G. trichotoma Wend. is an endangered plant species for the Bulgarian flora according to the Red Data Book. Δ⁷-Sterols, which are unusual and rare in the plant kingdom, are present in the roots of this species. In previous studies different in vi...

A certain issue long present in the genus Astragalus (Fabaceae) is its internal structure because morphological differences are frequently not enough to distinguish species in the subgenera. Astragalus plants have been reported to produce flavonoids and saponins. The present study was focused on section In-cani of the genus, comprising some of the...

A certain issue long present in the genus Astragalus (Fabaceae) is its internal structure because morphological differences are frequently not enough to distinguish species in the subgenera. Astragalus plants have been reported to produce flavonoids and saponins. The present study was focused on section Incani of the genus, comprising some of the m...

The aim of this study was to establish in vitro cultures of Astragalus monspessulanus subsp. monspessulanus, native to Bulgaria. Different types of culture lines were established, i.e., shoots, callus and suspension. Analysis of the flavonoid content of the cultures was made via HPLC method in comparison with wild grown aerial parts of the species....

The genus Astragalus L., Fabaceae (Leguminosae) is presented in Bulgarian flora by 31 species including local endemics, nine of them listed in the Red Data Book. The main biologically active compounds found in the Bulgarian Astragalus plants are saponins and flavonoids with a variety of effects: immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, antiox...

Flavonoids, the most common plant polyphenols are widely distributed in every species and possess a broad range of pharmacological activities. The genus Astragalus is the largest in the Fabaceae family with more than 2,500 species spread. They are known to contain different metabolites such as flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides. Plants from...

Aim: To investigate the possible antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of purified extract obtained from aerial parts of Astragalus glycyphyllos (EAG) using in vivo model of CCl 4 - induced liver damage in male Wistar rats. Study Design: A total of 36 animals were randomly allocated in six experimental groups, each consisted of six animals: Cont...

Saponins are widely distributed among plant kingdom and possess a wide range of pharmacological properties. Genus Astragalus is the largest in the Fabaceae family, comprising more than 2,200 species spread over the Globe. Astragalus species have been used in traditional medicine of many countries as well as in the modern one. The main use in the fo...