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2.14 Asparagus Species
2.14.1 Ethnopharmacological Properties and Phytochemistry
Asparagus racemosus Willd (Fam. – Liliaceae) is a medicinal plant known as shatavari (in India). It is used in Ayurvedic system of medicine for increasing longevity and immunity, improving the mental activity as well as vitality of the body (Goel and Sairam 2002; Goyal et al. 2003; Pandey et al. 2005). The juice of roots is used as stimulant and in the formulation of Ayurvedic syrups (“Shatavari kalpa,” “Phalaghrita,” “Vishnu taila”) by pharmaceutical companies for digestive discomfort, indigestion, amoebiasis, piles, and debility (Sharma et al. 2012; Hussain et al. 2011; Bopana and Saxena 2007). As per available reports, the root extract possessed antiulcer, antidiarrheal, antidiabetic, adaptogenic, and immunomodulatory activities and anti-oxytocin, anti-dyspepsia, cardioprotective, lactogogue, and positive effects on neurological disorders (Goyal et al. 2003; Sekine et al. 1995; Hayes et al. 2006; Visavadiya and Narasimhacharya 2005). This is used in the treatment of dysfunction of male genital organs, oligospermia, and painful micturition problem in males (Sahu et al. 2002; Dartsch 2008). Similarly, it is recommended as remedy for females suffering from habitual abortions, weakness of the uterus, and excessive bleeding during menstruation (Singla et al. 2013). The aerial parts of the plant are used as antidiarrhetic (Venkatesan et al. 2005; Venkatesan et al. 2005), antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, antidysenteric, demulcent, diuretic (Potduang et al. 2008; Islam et al. 2015), nutritive, and refrigerant (Visavadiya and Narasimhacharya 2009); the methanolic extract possesses antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus (Mandal et al. 2000) as well as antitussive activity (Thatte et al. 1987), while extract from the roots and tubers showed anticandidal activity against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Candida guilliermondii, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida stellatoidea (Uma et al. 2009), antitumor potency (Agrawal et al. 2008), and anti-inflammatory activity (Kanwar and Bhutani 2010).
3-O-[α-L-Rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4))-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-26-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl]-(25R)-22-α-methoxyfurost-5-ene-3-β,26-diol-(methyl protodioscin), its corresponding 22-α-hydroxy analogue (protodioscin), and 3-O-[{β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)}{β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-(25S),5β-spirostan-3β-ol were isolated from Asparagus officinalis and showed antileukemic activity against HL-60 cells as well as antifungal property against Cryptococcus, Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton (Shimoyamada et al. 1990). The ethanolic extract of Asparagus laricinus did not show any antibacterial activity (Ntsoelinyane and Mashele 2014) but it was found that some were positive with Gram (+) bacteria (Kelmanson et al. 2000; Massika and Afolayane 2002; Fennell et al. 2004). The filiasparosides A–D were isolated from the roots of Asparagus filicinus and showed cytotoxic activity against human lung carcinoma (A549) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) tumor cell lines (Zhou et al. 2007). Asparanin A, asparanin B, asparanin C, curillin G, and curillin H were isolated from A. racemosus (Negi et al. 2010).
3-O-[α-L-Rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-25(S)-spirosta-3β-ol, racemoside A, racemoside B, racemoside C, shatavarins (V–XII), asparanin A and asparanin D (Handa et al. 2003; Mandal et al. 2006; Kumeta et al. 2012), immunoside, (1S,2R,3S,8S,9S,10S,13S,14S,16S,17R,22R,25R)-21-nor-18-β,27-α-dimethyl-1β,2β,3β-trihydroxy-25-spirost-4-en-19-β-oic acid, sarsasapogenin, diosgenin (Hayes et al. 2008; Sharma et al. 2011; Ahmad et al. 1991), filiasparoside C (25), shatavaroside A, shatavaroside B (Sabde et al. 2011; Sharma et al. 2009a,2009b; Sekine et al. 1995), asparagamine A, racemosol, racemofuran (Wiboonpun et al. 2004; Sekine et al. 1997), 8-methoxy-5,6,4-trihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, cyanidine-3-galatoside, 5-hydroxy-3,6,4′-trimethoxy-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-[1→4]-O-α-D-xylopyranoside, rutin, hyperoside, and quercetin-3-glucuronide were identified from Asparagus recemosus (Bopana and Saxena 2007; Saxena and Choubasia 2000; Khan et al. 2017). The aspafiliosides E and F were isolated from the roots of A. filicinus (Zhou and Chen 2008). The structures of the following compounds were established from Asparagus cochinchinensis by spectral data analysis: (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furostan-3β,22α,26-triol-12-one-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22α-methoxy-5β-furostan-3β,26-diol-12-one-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furostan-3β,22α,26-triol, (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furstan-3β,22α,26-triol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furostan-3β,22α,26-triol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1,4)-β-D-glucopyranoside, (25S)-5β-spirostan-3β-ol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside,