Chemical Profile and Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Anti-Enzymatic, and Antibacterial Activity of Astragalus strictispinus and Astragalus macrocephalus subsp. finitimus.

Astragalus species are characterized by rich active compounds, mainly polysaccharides, saponins, and polyphenols, with various important bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-diabetes, antiviral, etc. In this study, the chemical profiles of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and dichloromethane extracts from different parts (leaves, flowers, and roots) of two endemic Astragalus species growing in Türkiye, i.e., A. strictispinus and A. macrocephalus subsp. finitimus were determined, along with their antioxidant, anti-enzymatic, and antibacterial properties. According to the results, naringenin and apigenin were identified as two common phenolic compounds of both Astragalus species, while only ethanol extracts of the roots and leaves and ethyl acetate extracts of flowers of A. strictispinis exhibited a low level of antioxidant activity (5-16%). Moreover, AChE and BChE inhibitory activities were higher in the ethyl acetate extract of A. macrocephalus subsp. finitimus leaves, while all leaf extracts of the analyzed Astragalus species, except dichloromethane extract of A. strictispinus, exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus. In conclusion, this study provides detailed information that may serve as the scientific basis for the use of Astragalus species as sources of bioactive compounds with multiple functions in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.