Antiproliferative effects of a flavonoid and saponins from Astragalus hamosus against human tumor cell lines

The antiproliferative effects of a flavonol glycoside rhamnocitrin 4’-βD-galactopyranoside and mixture of two saponins, obtained from Astragalus hamosus L. (Fabaceae), were tested in a panel of human tumor cell lines, using the MTT-dye reduction assay. The saponin mixture caused concentration-dependent inhibition of malignant cell proliferation, while the flavonoid exerted only marginal effects. These data were corroborated by an ELISA test to assess the characteristic for apoptosis DNA-fragmentation after treatment with the tested compounds. At equipotent concentrations the saponin mixture was found to be superior inducer of apoptosis as compared to the flavonoid.