A comprehensive review on role of phytoconstituents from the roots of Asparagus racemosus (Queen of Herbs)

Asparagus racemosus , commonly known as Shatavari or the "Queen of Herbs," is a traditional medicinal plant mentioned in Ayurveda, is renowned for its therapeutic potential which is attributed to its roots.Roots of Asparagus racemosus consists of a rich array of bioactive phytochemicals such as steroidal saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, polyphenols etc. Therefore, this review overviews and highlights the pharmacological mechanisms/pathways followed by its individual phytoconstituents (instead of extract level evaluation) of roots of Asparagus racemosus that have had been studied till date for alleviating different disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, oxidative stress, and cancers. Sarsasapogenin follows inhibition of amyloid aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease, while Shatavarin IV follows upregulation of antiageing genes and reduction of alpha synuclein aggregation to improve the behavioural responses of parkinsons disease. On the other hand, β -Glucogallin has been reported to prevent formation of glucose induced anti-glycation end products by reducing fructosamine and dicarbonyl content formation to improve complications of diabetes whereas, furoasparoside E follows enhancement of GLUT4 translocation to improve glucose metabolism. Immunomodulatory properties have been attributed to saponins like Shatavarin IV and immunoside, the latter showing potential as a vaccine adjuvant. Furthermore, A. racemosus -derived phytochemicals have antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 because of strong affinity for spike receptor and NSP15 endoribonuclease, as both of them are essential for virus replication. Apart from this these phytoconstituents are involved in inhibition of estrogen biosynthesis and cell division pathways for anticancer properties. Similarly other phytoconstituents have been reported to follow different pharmacological pathways for antioxidant, antioxytocic, antiageing and antiadipogenic activities. The detailed structural analysis of these compounds and their pharmacological roles underscores the therapeutic versatility of A. racemosus across diverse health domains but still additional studies are needed to validate its bioactivities and optimize its therapeutic applications for clinical use.