Gastrodia elata Blume and an Active Component, p-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol Reduce Focal Ischemic Brain Injury through Antioxidant Related Gene Expressions

• Published in: Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 2005, Vol.28(6), pp.1016-1020
• Main Authors: Yu, Seong Jin, Kim, Ju Ran, Lee, Chae Kwan, Han, Jeong Eun, Lee, Jae Hyun, Kim, Hye-Sook, Hong, Jeong Hwa, Kang, Sung Goo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1-Cys peroxiredoxin; Animals; Antioxidants - metabolism; Benzyl Alcohols - isolation & purification; Benzyl Alcohols - pharmacology; Benzyl Alcohols - therapeutic use; Brain Ischemia - drug therapy; Brain Ischemia - metabolism; Brain Ischemia - pathology; Gastrodia; Gastrodia elata blume; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; ischemia; Male; p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacokinetics; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; protein disulfide isomerase; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• ISSN: 0918-6158; 1347-5215
• DOI: 10.1248/bpb.28.1016

Ischaemic stroke is a leading cause of death and long-lasting disability. Gastrodia elata blume (GEB) is a Chinese herb that is widely used to treat convulsive disorders, such as epilepsy, and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) is the active ingredient in GEB. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of GEB and HBA on the brain damage and transcriptional levels of Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and 1-Cys peroxiredoxin (1-Cys Prx) genes known to play a role in antioxidant systems after transient focal ischemia in the rat brain. Focal ischemia was induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). All animals underwent ischemia for 1 h, followed by 24 h of reperfusion. Coronal brain slices were stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride or total RNA was extracted for the analysis of gene expression. Histopathologic analysis revealed a significant (p