Ameliorative effect of Gastrodia elata Blume extracts on depression in zebrafish and cellular models through modulating reticulon 4 receptors and apoptosis

The processing methods, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Gastrodia elata Bl.: A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gastrodia elata Bl. (GE) is one of the rare Chinese medicinal materials with a long history of medicine and cooking. It consists of a variety of chemical components, including aromatic compounds, organic acids and esters, steroids, saccharides and their glycosides, etc., which has medicinal and edible value, and is widely used in various diseases, such as infantile convulsions, epilepsy, tetanus, headache, dizziness, limb numbness, rheumatism and arthralgia. It is also commonly used in health care products and cosmetics. Thus, its chemical composition and pharmacological activity have attracted more and more attention from the scientific community.

AIM

In this review, the processing methods, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of GE were comprehensively and systematically summarized, which provides a valuable reference for researchers the rational of GE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search of published literature and classic books from 1958 to 2023 was conducted using online bibliographic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, ACS, Science Direct Database, CNKI and others to identify original research related to GE, its processing methods, active ingredients and pharmacological activities.

RESULTS

GE is traditionally used to treat infantile convulsion, epilepsy, tetanus, headache, dizziness, limb numbness, rheumatism and arthralgia. To date, more than 435 chemical constituents were identified from GE including 276 chemical constituents, 72 volatile components and 87 synthetic compounds, which are the primary bioactive compounds. In addition, there are other biological components, such as organic acids and esters, steroids and adenosines. These extracts have nervous system and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system activities such as sedative-hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiepileptic, neuron protection and regeneration, analgesia, antidepressant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antiplatelet aggregation, anti-inflammatory, etc. CONCLUSION: This review summarizes the processing methods, chemical composition, pharmacological activities, and molecular mechanism of GE over the last 66 years, which provides a valuable reference for researchers to understand its research status and applications.

The effects of fresh Gastrodia elata Blume on the cognitive deficits induced by chronic restraint stress

Chronic restraint stress (CRS) is a classic animal model of stress that can lead to various physiological and psychological dysfunctions, including systemic neuroinflammation and memory deficits. Fresh Gastrodia elata Blume (FG), the unprocessed raw tuber of Gastrodia elata Blume, has been reported to alleviate the symptoms of headache, convulsions, and neurodegenerative diseases, while the protective effects of FG on CRS-induced cognitive deficits remain unclear. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of FG on CRS-induced cognitive deficits through multiplex animal behavior tests and to further explore the related mechanism by observing the expression of mitochondrial apoptosis-related proteins in the mouse hippocampus. In in vivo experiments, mice were subjected to the object location recognition test (OLRT), new object recognition test (NORT), Morris water maze test (MWMT), and passive avoidance test (PAT) to evaluate the learning and memory ability. In in vitro experiments, the expression of the AKT/CREB pathway, the fission- and apoptosis-related proteins (Drp1, Cyt C, and BAX), and the proinflammatory cytokines’ (TNF‐α and IL‐1β) level in the hippocampus was examined. Our results demonstrated that in spontaneous behavior experiments, FG significantly improved the cognitive performance of CRS model mice in OLRT (p < 0.05) and NORT (p < 0.05). In punitive behavior experiments, FG shortened the escape latency in long-term spatial memory test (MWMT, p < 0.01) and prolonged the latency into the dark chamber in non-spatial memory test (PAT, p < 0.01). Biochemical analysis showed that FG treatment significantly suppressed CRS‐induced Cyt C, Drp1, and BAX activation (p < 0.001, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05), promoted the CREB, p-CREB, AKT, and p-AKT level (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001), and inhibited the CRS‐induced proinflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α and IL‐1β, p < 0.05 and p < 0.001) level in the hippocampus. Taken together, these results suggested that FG could attenuate cognitive deficits induced by CRS on multiple learning and memory behavioral tests.

Para-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol Delays the Progression of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Models of Caenorhabditis elegans through Activating Multiple Cellular Protective Pathways

The traditional Chinese medicine Gastrodia elata (commonly called “Tianma” in Chinese) has been widely used in the treatment of rheumatism, epilepsy, paralysis, headache, and dizziness. Phenolic compounds, such as gastrodin, para-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin are the main bioactive components isolated from Gastrodia elata. These compounds not only are structurally related but also share similar pharmacological activities, such as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, and effects on the treatment of aging-related diseases. Here, we investigated the effect of para-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) on neurodegenerative diseases and aging in models of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Our results showed that HBA effectively delayed the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease in models of C. elegans. In addition, HBA could increase the average lifespan of N2 worms by more than 25% and significantly improve the age-related physiological functions of worms. Moreover, HBA improved the survival rate of worms under stresses of oxidation, heat, and pathogenic bacteria. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that HBA could activate FOXO/DAF-16 and SKN-1 to regulate antioxidative and xenobiotic metabolism pathway. HBA could also activate HSF-1 to regulate proteostasis maintenance pathway, mitochondrial unfolded stress response, endoplasmic stress response and autophagy pathways. The above results suggest that HBA activated multiple cellular protective pathways to increase stress resistance and protect against aging and aging-related diseases. Overall, our study indicates that HBA is a potential candidate for future development of antiaging pharmaceutical application.