SPARGA

Asparagus officinalis is a dioecious plant which is well known as a popular vegetable at home and abroad [1]. It is also used as a traditional Chinese medicine because of its chemical composition of various activities [2], including saponins [3], saccharides [4], flavonoids [5], acetylenic compounds [6], and sulfur-containing [7] and nitrogen-containing [8] compounds

Asparagus officinalis are perennial plants that require re-planting every 10–20 years. The roots are traditionally mulched in the soil or treated as waste. The A. officinalis roots (AR) contain valuable bioactive compounds that may have some health benefiting properties.

The use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization. About 600-700 plants species in Pakistan are used for preparation of ayurvedic, unani and homeopathic drugs. Asparagus officinalis a sub-erect prickly shrub with white tuberous root usually is of prime importance in this regard.

Sparga will be used in humans because of the vital importance of carrying out these first-step tests. They will not only guarantee the quality of the product, but will also establish that there are no adverse side effects in humans who take the product.

BACKGROUND: The inedible bottom part of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears, around one-third to one-half of the total length, is always discarded as by-product. Since it still contains various bioactive substances, this by-product might have potential usage in food supplements for its therapeutic effects. In this study the hypoglycaemic effect of the aqueous extract of asparagus by-product (AEA) was evaluated in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model.

Ultrasonic circulating extractiontechnology was appliedfor thepolysaccharide extractionfromAsparagus officinalis. The crude polysaccharides were deproteinized by Sevag method and three main polysaccharide fractions, AOP-4, AOP-6 and AOP-8 were obtained by fractional precipitation with gradient concentrations of ethanol (40%, 60% and 80%).

During industrial processing of Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.), around half of each spear is discarded. However, these discarded asparagus (by‐products) might be used as food supplements for their potential therapeutic effects.

One new (Sarsasapogenin O) and seven known steroids were isolated from the roots of Asparagus officinalis L. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including various 2D-NMR techniques, hydrolysis, and by comparison of spectral data of known compounds.

The global burden of cancer is still increasing and it is the leading cause of death in economically developed countries. About 12.7 million new cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths are estimated to have occurred in 2008 worldwide. Most cancers can be cured surgically before cancer metastasis, and 5 year survival rates are often above 90%.

Hyperlipidaemia, including hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia, is a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial has concluded that every 1% reduction in plasma total cholesterol (TC) leads to a 2% decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease.

Asparagus officinalis is a vegetable that is widely consumed worldwide and has also long been used as a herbal medicine for the treatment of several diseases. Although A. officinalis is generally regarded as a supplement for the alleviation of alcohol hangover, little is known about its effects on cell metabolism.

Diet (nutrition) plays an important role in the management of diabetes, and for preventing and/or delaying the development of type 2 diabetes. Dietary approaches can be used alone (in the case of the onset of type 2 diabetes and in mild hyperglycaemia) or in combination with oral hypoglycaemic agents or insulin.

The aim of this investigation was to find a proper harvesting period and establishing fern number, which effects the spear yield, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of Asparagus officinalis L. Spears were harvested at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after sprouting.

Flavonols are of widespread occurrence in the most common edible fruits, vegetables, and seeds, and their content may reach up to a few hundred mg kg-1 of fresh weight. Berries such as bog whortleberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) have been found to contain 184 and 263 mg kg-1 fresh weight of total flavonols, respectively.

Production of secondary metabolites using in vitro propagation techniques has been studied since the 1970s. For example, Al-Abta et al. (1979) showed that production of phthallides, the main flavour compounds of celery, can be detected in differentiated calli of celery plant but was undetected in the undifferentiated callus tissues. Based on several investigative studies, a compound produced in an in vivo plant could be produced at the same or different levels or not produced at all.

Asparagus officinalis L., a well known healthy vegetable, which was named as “the king of vegetables” for its rich bioactive compounds, now is widely consumed all over the world. Bioactive components, such as flavonoid, lignan and steroidal saponin were found in this plant.

To date, many saponins have been isolated and characterized from asparagus. These constituents may have a bitter taste, and those parts which have a large amount of saponins in the 'bottom cut' must be discarded during processing.

A deoxyribonuclease distinct from the previously isolated asparagus ribosome-inactivating proteins, possessing a molecular weight of 30 kDa and requiring a pH of 7.5 for optimum hydrolytic activity toward herring sperm DNA, was isolated from Asparagus officinalis seeds.

Asparagus is a familiar food as well as a medicinal plant in India and other countries. White asparagus is mostly processed into the canned product. For this purpose, the 'bottom cut' must be discarded because of its bitter taste, which is attributed to saponin constituents.

Shoots of white asparagus are a popular vegetable dish, known to be rich in many bioactive phytochemicals reported to possess antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities. We evaluated the anticancer mechanisms of a methanolic extract of Asparagus officinalis L. shoots (Asp) on human colon carcinoma cells (SW480) and their derived metastatic cells (SW620), and Asp chemopreventive properties were also assessed in a model of colon carcinogenesis.