Gastrodiae Rhizoma Ethanol Extract Enhances Pentobarbital-Induced Sleeping Behaviors and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep via the Activation of GABA A -ergic Transmission in Rodents

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.

Gastrodin Improves Cognitive Dysfunction in REM Sleep-Deprived Rats by Regulating TLR4/NF-κB and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathways

Gastrodin is the active ingredient in Gastrodia elata. Our previous studies demonstrated that gastrodin ameliorated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and hypoperfusion injury and improved cognitive deficit in Alzheimer's disease. This study aims to examine the effects of gastrodin on REM sleep deprivation in rats. Gastrodin (100 and 150 mg/kg) was orally administered for 7 consecutive days before REM sleep deprivation. Seventy-two hours later, pentobarbital-induced sleep tests and a Morris water maze were performed to measure REM sleep quality and learning and memory ability. Histopathology was observed with hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the expression of the NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways was examined using Western blot. After REM sleep deprivation, sleep latency increased and sleep duration decreased, and the ability of learning and memory was impaired. Neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region and the cortex were damaged. Gastrodin treatment significantly improved REM sleep-deprivation-induced sleep disturbance, cognitive deficits and neuron damage in the hippocampus CA1 region and cerebral cortex. A mechanism analysis revealed that the NF-κB pathway was activated and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was inhibited after REM sleep deprivation, and gastrodin ameliorated these aberrant changes. Gastrodin improves REM sleep-deprivation-induced sleep disturbance and cognitive dysfunction by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways and can be considered a potential candidate for the treatment of REM sleep deprivation.

Anxiety, Insomnia, and Memory Impairment in Metabolic Syndrome Rats Are Alleviated by the Novel Functional Ingredients from Anacardium occidentale

Despite an increase in the coexistence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and psychological disorders, together with their great impact on socio-economic burdens, no protective strategies that focus on these situations are available. Due to the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and psychological disorders, we hypothesized that substances possessing antioxidant activity such as the novel functional ingredients from Anacardium occidentale (AO) could mitigate common psychological disorders in MetS rats. Male Wistar rats, weighing 200-250 g, were induced with MetS through a 12-week high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFHC). Then, they were given AO orally via a gastric gavage needle at doses of 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg BW for 14 days. Spatial memory, anxiety, depression, and sleep behaviors, together with changes in oxidative stress status and neurotransmitters, were assessed. All doses of AO significantly improved memory, anxiety, and sleep, together with the suppression of oxidative stress, AChE, and GABA-T in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. These results suggest the protective effect of AO against anxiety, insomnia, and memory impairment that coexist with the MetS condition via an improvement in oxidative stress and the functions of the cholinergic and GABAergic systems. However, this benefit requires clinical confirmation.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori-Associated Chronic Gastritis on Autonomous Activity and Sleep Quality in Mice

Many reports have shown that patients with Hp-associated chronic gastritis exhibit anxiety and poor sleep quality. However, less is known about the effects and specific manifestations of Hp-associated chronic gastritis on autonomous activity and sleep quality in animals. Here, we investigated the effect of Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-associated chronic gastritis on autonomous activity and sleep quality in mice. To do this, a Hp-associated chronic gastritis mouse model was first established, then analyzed for autonomous activity, relative to controls, for 15 min using an autonomous activity tester. Next, sleep quality of mice was detected by sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment and results compared between groups. The results showed that male mice in the model group exhibited higher activity counts but lower forelimb lift counts, relative to those in the control group, although there were no significant differences (all p > .05). Conversely, female mice in the model group recorded lower activity counts, albeit at no significant difference (p > .05), and significantly lower counts of forelimb lift (p < .05), relative to those in the control group. Notably, male mice in the model group had longer sleep latency and shorter sleep duration than those in the control group, albeit at no significant differences (all p > .05). On the other hand, female mice in the model group recorded significantly longer sleep latency as well as shorter sleep duration compared to those in the control group (all p < .01). We conclude that Hp-associated chronic gastritis exerts certain effects on autonomous activity and sleep quality of mice in a gender-dependent manner. Notably, female mice with Hp-associated chronic gastritis had lower activity and forelimb lift counts, as well as prolonged sleep latency, and shortened sleep duration. These effects were all statistically significant except for activity counts.

Gastrodin alleviates seizure severity and neuronal excitotoxicities in the rat lithium-pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy via enhancing GABAergic transmission

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Temporal lobe epilepsy remains one of the most drug-resistant focal epilepsy, leading to enormous healthcare burden. Among traditional herb medicine, some ingredients have the potential to treat seizure and alleviate the neuronal excitoxicity. The dried rhizome of Gastrodia elata Blume has been used to treat convulsive disorder, dizziness, dementia and migraine in eastern Asia.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To determine whether gastrodin, an active ingredient of Gastrodia elata Blume, can reduce lithium-pilocarpine induced seizure severity and neuronal excitotoxicity and explore the underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We divided the Sprague-Dawley rats into an experimental group (gastrodin group) and a control group (Dimethyl sulfoxide, vehicle group) and performed the behavioral analysis and electroencephalography to determine the effect of gastrodin on the seizure severity induced by lithium-pilocarpine injection. Nissl-stained histopathology elucidated the degree of rat hippocampal neuronal damage as markers of acute and subacute neuronal excitotoxicity. Besides, the Western blotting of dissected hippocampus was carried out to demonstrate the protein expression involving GABAergic transmission and metabolic pathway.

RESULTS

Gastrodin reduced the acute seizure severity in lithium-pilocarpine-induced seizure model. In electroencephalography recording, gastrodin exerted inhibitory action on epileptiform discharge. Compared with control group, gastrodin exhibited neuroprotective effect against seizure related hippocampal neuronal damage at acute and subacute stages. The Western blotting showed that gastrodin reversed the degradation of GABAA receptor after pilocarpine-induced seizures.

CONCLUSIONS

In the experimental seizure model, gastrodin showed anti-seizure and neuroprotective abilities. Enhancing the expression of GABAA receptor plays an important role in its antiepileptic mechanism. The results offer a new insight of developing new antiepileptic drugs from traditional Chinese medicine.

Alternative Extraction Methods of Essential Oil From the Flowers of Citrus aurantium L. Var Daidai Tanaka: Evaluation of Oil Quality and Sedative-Hypnotic Activity

The aim of this study was to analyze the content of hypnotic components in the essential oil from Citrus aurantium flowers (EDD), extracted by different methods, and to characterize its sedative-hypnotic effects. The sedative-hypnotic capacity of EDD was evaluated using pentobarbital-induced sleeping assays, locomotor activity tests and GABAA receptor antagonists. The results showed that EDD extracted by steam and water distillation (SWD), hydrodistillation (HD), and ultrasound-assisted hydrodistillation (UHD) had as their main components linalool, linalyl acetate, and limonene, comprising more than 55% of the total peak area. Compared with EDD extracted by HD and UHD, the total content of linalool and linalyl acetate in EDD obtained by SWD was highest, whereas the content of limonene in EDD extracted by the 3 different methods was not different. Oral and intraperitoneal administration of EDD resulted in reduced sleep latency and increased sleep duration of mice, as well as reduced locomotor activity, which was proven by decreases in the total distance travelled, average velocity, number of activities, and central distance. Interestingly, intraperitoneal injection of EDD had better sedative and hypnotic effects than oral ingestion. In vitro assays using SH-SY5Y cells showed that EDD dose-dependently increased Cl− influx, which could be blocked by the GABAA receptor antagonists, picrotoxin, bicuculline, and flumazenil, suggesting that EDD promoted sedative-hypnotic activity by potentiating GABAA receptor-mediated Cl− current responses. Altogether, these results suggest that the important hypnotic-sedative activity of EDD appears to be due to the effects of limonene, and particularly the high contents of linalool and linalyl acetate, which were effectively extracted by SWD.

Prevalence of Occult Infections in Posterior Instrumented Spinal Fusion

STUDY DESIGN

This is a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to determine the rate of occult infection after instrumented spine surgery in presumed aseptic patients.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The reported incidence rate of delayed/occult infection determined by positive culture swabs after instrumented spine surgery in prospective studies is 0.2%-6.9%. However, this rate may be higher as delayed infections are challenging to diagnose. Fever can be absent and inflammatory markers are often normal. If indolent organisms exist in low concentrations surrounding the instrumentation, these organisms can possibly avoid detection and disrupt bone formation leading to instrumentation loosening, pain generation, and/or failure of a solid fusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included 50 consecutive presumed aseptic patients undergoing a posterior revision requiring removal of instrumentation at least 6 months following their index procedure. Common markers of infection were examined preoperatively. Multiple culture swabs were taken directly from the removed instrumentation and cultured for 14 days.

RESULTS

Of the 50 patients, 19 (38%) were culture-positive (CP) for bacteria upon removal of their instrumentation, with 14 patients (28%) having ≥2 positive specimens of the same organism. The average length of time between the index procedure and the revision surgery was 4.55 years (range: 0.53-21 y). Polymicrobial infections were found in 26% (5/19) of CP patients. The most prevalent microorganism found was Propionibacterium acnes, in 63% (12/19) of CP patients. There was no significant difference between CP and culture-negative patients regarding preoperative markers for infection, age, or length between index and revision procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate a positive culture rate of 38% in presumed aseptic patients who had previously undergone instrumented spine surgery. These results are consistent with other retrospective studies and are >6 times greater than any previous prospective study utilizing culture swabs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level-III.

Sleep-Aids Derived from Natural Products

Although drugs such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines are often used for the treatment of insomnia, they are associated with various side effects such as habituations, tolerance and addiction. Alternatively, natural products with minimal unwanted effects have been preferred for the treatment of acute and/or mild insomnia, with additional benefits of overall health-promotion. Basic and clinical researches on the mechanisms of action of natural products have been carried out so far in insomnia treatments. Recent studies have been focusing on diverse chemical components available in natural products, with an interest of developing drugs that can improve sleep duration and quality. In the last 15 years, our co-workers have been actively looking for candidate substances from natural products that can relieve insomnia. This review is, therefore, intended to bring pharmacological data regarding to the effects of natural products on sleep duration and quality, mainly through the activation of GABA_A receptors. It is imperative that phytochemicals will provide useful information during electroencephalography (EEG) analysis and serve as an alternative medications for insomnia patients who are reluctant to use conventional drugs.

Indication of nerve growth factor binding components from herbal extracts by HerboChip: a platform for drug screening on a chip

Background

HerboChip is an array of different fractions deriving from herbal extracts. This study aimed to identify effective components from Chinese medicine (CM) that interact with nerve growth factor (NGF) as a target using HerboChip.

Methods

Fifty types of CM that are traditionally used as remedies for emotion imbalance were selected and extracted with 50 % ethanol. Biotinylated-NGF was hybridized with over 300 chips coated with different HPLC-separated fractions from CM extracts and straptavidin-Cy5 was used to identify the NGF-bound fractions.

Results

Over 300 chips were screened within a week, and 17 positive hits were identified. The interaction of the identified herbal extracts with NGF was confirmed in cultured PC12 cells. Co-application of NGF and herbal extract interfered with NGF-induced expression of neurofilaments, including NF68 and NF200 in cell cultures. Western blot analysis comparing the intensity of phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) over total CREB showed NGF-induced CREB phosphorylation was modulated by the identified herbal extracts. Five CM herbs showed activating activities on the NGF response and nine CM herbs showed inhibiting activities.

Conclusion

The current result supported the applicability of HerboChip for screening NGF binding components from herbal extracts.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13020-016-0107-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sleep-promoting effects of the GABA/5-HTP mixture in vertebrate models

The aim of this study was to investigate the sleep-promoting effect of combined γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) on sleep quality and quantity in vertebrate models. Pentobarbital-induced sleep test and electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis were applied to investigate sleep latency, duration, total sleeping time and sleep quality of two amino acids and GABA/5-HTP mixture. In addition, real-time PCR and HPLC analysis were applied to analyze the signaling pathway. The GABA/5-HTP mixture significantly regulated the sleep latency, duration (p<0.005), and also increased the sleep quality than single administration of the amino acids (p<0.000). Long-term administration increased the transcript levels of GABAA receptor (1.37-fold, p<0.000) and also increased the GABA content compared with the control group 12h after administration (1.43-fold, p<0.000). Our available evidence suggests that the GABA/5-HTP mixture modulates both GABAergic and serotonergic signaling. Moreover, the sleep architecture can be controlled by the regulation of GABAA receptor and GABA content with 5-HTP.

Neuropharmacological Potential of Gastrodia elata Blume and Its Components

Research has been conducted in various fields in an attempt to develop new therapeutic agents for incurable neurodegenerative diseases. Gastrodia elata Blume (GE), a traditional herbal medicine, has been used in neurological disorders as an anticonvulsant, analgesic, and sedative medication. Several neurodegenerative models are characterized by oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, which lead to cell death via multiple extracellular and intracellular signaling pathways. The blockade of certain signaling cascades may represent a compensatory therapy for injured brain tissue. Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory compounds isolated from natural resources have been investigated, as have various synthetic chemicals. Specifically, GE rhizome extract and its components have been shown to protect neuronal cells and recover brain function in various preclinical brain injury models by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. The present review discusses the neuroprotective potential of GE and its components and the related mechanisms; we also provide possible preventive and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disorders using herbal resources.