Preparation, characterization and hypolipidaemic activity of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide

The dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (A. membranaceus) is an important traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The polysaccharide from A. membranaceus (AMP) exhibits numerous biological activities. This study aimed to investigate the hypolipidaemic effect of AMP. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: one group was treated with a high-fat diet (control group), and three groups were treated with high-fat diet containing 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg of AMP. AMP treatment decreased the levels of plasma triacylglycerol (TG), plasma total cholesterol (TC), plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, liver weight and liver TC and TG levels. Moreover, AMP treatment increased the levels of faecal fat, cholesterol and plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol of rats compared with the control group. Therefore, AMP possesses a potent hypolipidaemic activity and may be used for hyperlipidaemia treatment.