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Three undescribed spirosteroids, asparacemosones A-C, an undescribed spiro-21-norsteroid, asparacemosone D, along with seven known compounds were isolated from Thai herbal plant Asparagus racemosus Willd. roots. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis including NMR, UV, IR and mass spectrometry. The absolute configurations of asparacemosones A, B, and D were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction using CuKα radiation. Among the isolated compounds, the norlignan nyasol and three acetylenic norlignans demonstrated potent α-glucosidase inhibition, with IC 50 values ranging from 0.003 to 0.004 μM which is 5 × 10 4 fold more potent than the standard acarbose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Asparagus racemosus was used as a bioactive ingredient for the development of a novel calcium alginate edible film with preservative potential for improved lipid oxidative stability and storage quality of meat products. Chevon sausages were used as a model system and were aerobically packaged in the edible films incorporated with A. racemosus viz. T 0 (0.0%), T 1 (1.0%) and T 2 (2.0%) and were stored under refrigerated (4 ± 1 °C) conditions. Products packaged in T 1 and T 2 edible films exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) lower values for TBARS (mg malonaldehyde/kg), microbial counts (cfu/g) and FFA (% oleic acid) indicating the bioactive properties of the developed films. Significantly (P < 0.05) higher sensory scores were recorded for the products packaged in T 1 and T 2 films. A. racemosus added antioxidant and antimicrobial properties to the developed films which improved the lipid oxidative stability and storage quality of the model meat product., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Baptisia is commonly found in residential gardens as an ornamental plant, in municipal "rain gardens" for water control, as well as in native and restored prairie habitat. Cytisine, an alkaloid with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist properties, is a component of Baptisia., Case Report: Two patients poisoned after simultaneously ingesting Baptisia plant material are presented. In addition to findings of generalized nicotinic agonist toxicity, including generalized weakness and gastrointestinal symptoms, profound ataxia was present in both, consistent with recently described nicotinic subunit activity in the cerebellum. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Baptisia, a native prairie plant commonly found in restored prairie habitats and public spaces, has striking "look-alike" characteristics, in its immature state, to asparagus. As future exposures by foraging citizens will be likely, awareness of this relationship and the toxic manifestations of cytisine will be useful., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Current drugs for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis are inadequate and their efficacies are also compromised due to suppression of immune function associated during the course of infection. To overcome this problem, efforts are needed to develop therapies with effective immunomodulatory agents where decrease of parasitic burden and simultaneous enhancement of adaptive immunity can be achieved. In this study we have evaluated a new therapeutic approach based on combination of Asparagus racemosus, an immunomodulatory drug, in combination with cisplatin against Leishmania donovani infected BALB/c mice. We demonstrate that A. racemosus (650 mg/kg b.wt./day for 15 days, orally) in combination with cisplatin (5 mg/kg b.wt./day for 5 days, intraperitoneally) enhanced the clearance of parasites as determined by Giemsa-stained liver impression smears. Besides having better killing activity, this combination group achieved increased production of disease resolving Th-1 response (IFN-gamma, IL-2), heightened DTH (delayed type hypersensitivity) response and augmented levels of IgG2a. Moreover, A. racemosus in combination with cisplatin not only provided enhanced protective immune response but also resulted in remarkable improved kidney and liver function tests as manifested by normal levels of SGOT, SGPT, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and urea in blood plasma with normal histological observations as compared to only cisplatin treated L. donovani infected BALB/c mice. Through this study we have ascertained that A. racemosus in combination with cisplatin in L. donovani infected BALB/c mice boosted as well as restored both cellular and humoral immunity. Thus in view of severe immunosuppression in visceral leishmaniasis, a better and effective strategy for optimum efficacy of future antileishmanial drugs would direct not only killing of parasite by the drug, but also simultaneous generation of immunity against the disease., (© 2013.)

Asparagus racemosus Linn. (Fam. Liliaceae) is an ethno-pharmacologically acclaimed Ayurvedic medicinal plant. In the present study, aqueous extract of A. racemosus (ARC) was fractionated and screened for the polysaccharide fraction (ARP). The characterization was done by enzymatic, Size Exclusion, gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), high pressure anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC) and thin layer chromatographic analyses. Phyto-chemical evaluation confirmed the presence of 26.7% of 2→1 linked fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). They have a degree of polymerization (DP) of nearly 7-8. Cytotoxicity evaluation on P388 cell lines was consistent with low cytotoxicity of the extracts. In vitro Natural Killer (NK) cell activity was evaluated using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from whole blood on a ficoll-hypaque density gradient. K562 a myeloid leukemia cell line, were used as target cells. ARC, tested over the range 0.2-50 μg/ml, showed a dose-related stimulation of NK cell activity with a peak increase of 16.9±4.4% at 5.6 μg/ml. However, ARP demonstrated a higher stimulatory activity of 51.8±1.2% at 25 μg/ml. The results indicate that the FOS from A. racemosus potentiates the NK cell activity and this could be an important mechanism underpinning the 'Rasayana' properties of this plant., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study sought to evaluate the ability of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to classify intact green asparagus, in refrigerated storage under controlled atmosphere, by storage time and post-harvest treatments applied. A total of 468 green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis, L., cultivar UC-157) were sampled after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of refrigerated storage (2 degrees C, 95% R.H.) under three controlled atmosphere (CA) treatments: air (21 kPa O(2)+0.3 kPa CO(2)), CA(1) (5 kPa O(2)+5 kPa CO(2)) and CA(2) (10 kPa O(2)+10kPa CO(2)). Two commercially available spectrophotometers were evaluated for this purpose: a scanning monochromator (SM) of 400-2500 nm and a combination of diode array and scanning monochromator (DASM) of 350-2500 nm. Models developed using partial least squares 2-discriminant analysis (PLS2-DA) correctly classified between 81-100% of samples by post-harvest storage time, depending on the instrument used. Using similar models, the DASM instrument correctly classified 85% of samples by post-harvest treatment, compared with 72% using the SM. These results confirmed that NIR spectroscopy, coupled with the use of chemometric techniques, provides a reliable, accurate method of predicting the shelf-life of asparagus under different storage conditions and as a function of post-harvest treatment applied; the method can be readily applied at industrial level.