Analgesic and Anxiolytic Effects of Gastrodin and Its Influences on Ferroptosis and Jejunal Microbiota in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant-Injected Mice

Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of GPX4 in Pain Modulation

Pain, a complex symptom encompassing both sensory and emotional dimensions, constitutes a significant global public health issue. Oxidative stress is a pivotal factor in the complex pathophysiology of pain, with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) recognized as a crucial antioxidant enzyme involved in both antioxidant defense mechanisms and ferroptosis pathways. This review systematically explores GPX4's functions across various pain models, including neuropathic, inflammatory, low back, and cancer-related pain. Specifically, the focus includes GPX4's physiological roles, antioxidant defense mechanisms, regulation of ferroptosis, involvement in signal transduction pathways, and metabolic regulation. By summarizing current research, we highlight the potential of GPX4-targeted therapies in pain management.

The Pharmacological Effects of Gastrodin and the Progress in the Treatment of Neurological Disorders

Gastrodia elata Blume, a traditional medicinal herb primarily used in Asian countries such as China, has long been valued for treating headaches, dizziness, spasms, epilepsy, strokes, forgetfulness, and other ailments. Gastrodin, a glycoside analog and major bioactive component of Gastrodia elata Blume, has garnered significant scientific attention owing to its extensive pharmacological effects. It is commonly obtained through plant extraction, chemical synthesis, and biosynthesis. Gastrodin exhibits remarkable modulatory effects on the central nervous system (CNS), with promising applications in epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and affective and cognitive disorders. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics (PK) of gastrodin has been extensively reviewed. As a small molecule drug, this study focused on its efficiency and molecular mechanisms in treating CNS disorders, aiming to elucidate its interactions with disease targets. This study provides valuable insights for its development and addresses the drawbacks of unclear pharmacological mechanisms in traditional Chinese medicine.

Gut microbiota in health and disease: advances and future prospects

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining human health, influencing a wide range of physiological processes, including immune regulation, metabolism, and neurological function. Recent studies have shown that imbalances in gut microbiota composition can contribute to the onset and progression of various diseases, such as metabolic disorders (e.g., obesity and diabetes) and neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's and Parkinson's). These conditions are often accompanied by chronic inflammation and dysregulated immune responses, which are closely linked to specific forms of cell death, including pyroptosis and ferroptosis. Pathogenic bacteria in the gut can trigger these cell death pathways through toxin release, while probiotics have been found to mitigate these effects by modulating immune responses. Despite these insights, the precise mechanisms through which the gut microbiota influences these diseases remain insufficiently understood. This review consolidates recent findings on the impact of gut microbiota in these immune-mediated and inflammation-associated conditions. It also identifies gaps in current research and explores the potential of advanced technologies, such as organ-on-chip models and the microbiome-gut-organ axis, for deepening our understanding. Emerging tools, including single-bacterium omics and spatial metabolomics, are discussed for their promise in elucidating the microbiota's role in disease development.

Microfluidic Preparation and Evaluation of Multivesicular Liposomes Containing Gastrodin for Oral Delivery across the Blood-Brain Barrier

In this study, multivesicular liposomes (MVLs) were prepared by microfluidic technology and used for delivering gastrodin (GAS), a water-soluble drug, across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The formulations and preparation parameters in preparing gastrodin multivesicular liposomes (GAS-MVLs) were both optimized. Some properties of GAS-MVLs including morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release were evaluated. An in vitro BBB model was established by coculturing mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) and astrocytes (C8-D1A). The permeability of GAS-MVLs across the BBB model was evaluated. Finally, the permeability of GAS-MVLs across BBB was evaluated by in vivo pharmacokinetics in mice. The concentrations of GAS in the blood and brain were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and then brain-targeting efficiency (BTE), relative uptake rate (Re), and peak concentration ratio (Ce) were calculated. The results showed that, using a Y-type microfluidic chip and setting the flow rate ratio of the second aqueous phase to the W/O emulsion phase at 23, with a total flow rate of 0.184 m/s, the prepared GAS-MVLs showed an obvious multivesicular structure and a relatively narrow distribution of particle sizes. The prepared GAS-MVLs were spherical with a dense structure. The average particle size was 2.09 ± 0.17 μm. The average encapsulation rate was (34.47 ± 0.39)%. The particle size of MVLs prepared by the microfluidic method was much smaller than that prepared by the traditional method, which was usually larger than 10 μm. After 6 h from the beginning of the administration, the apparent transmittance of GAS-MVLs in the in vitro BBB model was 67.71%, which was 1.92 times higher than that of the GAS solution. In vivo pharmacokinetic study showed that the intracerebral area under curve (AUC) of GAS-MVLs was 5.68 times higher than that of the GAS solution, and the e peak concentration (Cmax) was 2.036 times higher than that of the GAS solution. BTE was 1.945, intracerebral Re was 5.688, and Ce was 2.036. Both in vitro and in vivo experiment results showed that GAS-MVLs prepared by microfluidic technology in this study significantly delivered GAS across BBB and enriched GAS in the brain. It provides a possibility for brain-targeting delivery of GAS in the prevention and treatment of central nervous system diseases by oral administration and lays the foundation for further development of oral brain-targeted preparations of GAS.

Variation in SSRs at different genomic regions and implications for the evolution and identification of Armillaria gallica

Armillaria spp. are devastating forest pathogens. Due to its low pathogenicity and abundant genetic variation, Armillaria gallica exhibited a unique and beneficial symbiosis with Gastrodia elata, which was used as a traditional Chinese medicine. However, the variation and population structure of A. gallica populations have rarely been investigated. Hence, we analyzed the evolution and variation in simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in three Armillaria genomes: A. gallica, A. cepistipes, and A. ostoyae to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 14 A. gallica strains. Genome analysis revealed that SSRs were more abundant in the intergenic region than the intron and exon region, as was the SSR density. Compared with other two genomes, SSR density was the lowest in exon region and largest in the intron region of A. gallica, with significant variation in genic region. There were 17 polymorphic markers in A. gallica genome was identified, with 26.7% in genic region, which is higher than that of 18.8% in the intergenic region. Moreover, a total of 50 alleles and 42 polymorphic loci were detected among these A. gallica strains. The averaged polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.4487, ranged from 0.2577 to 0.6786. Both principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and population structure analyses based on the genotype data of SSRs divided the strains into two clusters. The cluster I included all the strains from high-altitude G. elata producing areas and some low-altitude areas, while the strains in Cluster II originated from low-altitude G. elata producing areas. These results indicated that substantial genome-specific variation in SSRs within the genic region of A. gallica and provide new insights for further studies on the evolution and breeding of A. gallica.

Gastrodin, a Promising Natural Small Molecule for the Treatment of Central Nervous System Disorders, and Its Recent Progress in Synthesis, Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics

Gastrodia elata Blume is a traditional medicinal and food homology substance that has been used for thousands of years, is mainly distributed in China and other Asian countries, and has always been distinguished as a superior class of herbs. Gastrodin is the main active ingredient of G. elata Blume and has attracted increasing attention because of its extensive pharmacological activities. In addition to extraction and isolation from the original plant, gastrodin can also be obtained via chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Gastrodin has significant pharmacological effects on the central nervous system, such as sedation and improvement of sleep. It can also improve epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, emotional disorders and cognitive impairment to a certain extent. Gastrodin is rapidly absorbed and widely distributed in the body and can also penetrate the blood-brain barrier. In brief, gastrodin is a promising natural small molecule with significant potential in the treatment of brain diseases. In this review, we summarised studies on the synthesis, pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetic characteristics of gastrodin, with emphasis on its effects on central nervous system disorders and the possible mechanisms, in order to find potential therapeutic applications and provide favourable information for the research and development of gastodin.

New Insight into Neuropathic Pain: The Relationship between α7nAChR, Ferroptosis, and Neuroinflammation

Neuropathic pain, which refers to pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system, represents a wide variety of peripheral or central disorders. Treating neuropathic pain is quite demanding, primarily because of its intricate underlying etiological mechanisms. The central nervous system relies on microglia to maintain balance, as they are associated with serving primary immune responses in the brain next to cell communication. Ferroptosis, driven by phospholipid peroxidation and regulated by iron, is a vital mechanism of cell death regulation. Neuroinflammation can be triggered by ferroptosis in microglia, which contributes to the release of inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, neuroinflammation can induce iron accumulation in microglia, resulting in microglial ferroptosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that neuroinflammation, characterized by glial cell activation and the release of inflammatory substances, significantly exacerbates the development of neuropathic pain. By inhibiting microglial ferroptosis, it may be possible to prevent neuroinflammation and subsequently alleviate neuropathic pain. The activation of the homopentameric α7 subtype of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) has the potential to suppress microglial activation, transitioning M1 microglia to an M2 phenotype, facilitating the release of anti-inflammatory factors, and ultimately reducing neuropathic pain. Recent years have witnessed a growing recognition of the regulatory role of α7nAChR in ferroptosis, which could be a potential target for treating neuropathic pain. This review summarizes the mechanisms related to α7nAChR and the progress of ferroptosis in neuropathic pain according to recent research. Such an exploration will help to elucidate the relationship between α7nAChR, ferroptosis, and neuroinflammation and provide new insights into neuropathic pain management.

Gastrodin: a comprehensive pharmacological review

Tianma is the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata), which is frequently utilized in clinical practice as a traditional Chinese medicine. Gastrodin (GAS) is the main active ingredient of Tianma, which has good pharmacological activity. Therefore, for the first time, this review focused on the extraction, synthesis, pharmacological effects, and derivatives of GAS and to investigate additional development options for GAS. The use of microorganisms to create GAS is a promising method. GAS has good efficacy in the treatment of neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine diseases, and liver diseases. GAS has significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, vascular protective, blood sugar lowering, lipid-regulating, analgesic, anticancer, and antiviral effects. The mechanism involves various signaling pathways such as Nrf2, NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, and AMPK. In addition, the derivatives of GAS and biomaterials synthesized by GAS and PU suggested a broader application of GAS. The research on GAS is thoroughly summarized in this paper, which has useful applications for tackling a variety of disorders and exhibits good development value.

Review on pharmacological effects of gastrodin

Gastrodia elata Blume is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that is mainly used to treat diseases related to the nervous system, such as stroke, epilepsy, and headache. Gastrodin is the main bioactive component of Gastrodia elata Blume, and studies have shown that it has extensive pharmacological activity. This narrative review aims to systematically review relevant studies on the pharmacological effects of gastrodin to provide researchers with the latest and most useful information. Studies have shown that gastrodin has prominent neuroprotective effects and can treat or improve epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, emotional disorders, cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, cognitive impairment, and neuropathic pain. Gastrodin can also improve myocardial hypertrophy, hypertension, and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition, gastrodin can mitigate liver, kidney, and bone tissue damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. In short, gastrodin is expected to treat many diseases, and it is worth investing more effort in research on this compound.

Pharmacological effects of gastrodin: Insight into neurological diseases and mechanism in ferroptosis and pyroptosis

Gastrodin, as an effective monomer of gastrodia elata, plays a significant role in anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiapoptosis, and other aspects. As the global aging process continues to intensify, diseases of the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and immune system have brought serious economic and mental burdens to families and have become a major challenge for global public health resources. Many studies have proved that gastrodin may be a potential drug for neurological diseases and ischemic injury but its mechanism of action is still unclear. [Correction added on 19 February 2025, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, "the treatment of various systemic diseases" has been corrected to "neurological diseases and ischemic injury" in this version.]. In this study, the pharmacological action of gastrodin and the possible mechanism of regulating ferroptosis and pyroptosis were reviewed to provide a new treatment and research direction for clinicians and researchers.

Identification of Protein Quality Markers in Toad Venom from Bufo gargarizans

Toad venom is a traditional Chinese medicine with high medicinal value. The existing quality evaluation standards of toad venom have obvious limitations because of the lack of research on proteins. Thus, it is necessary to screen suitable quality markers and establish appropriate quality evaluation methods for toad venom proteins to guarantee their safety and efficacy in clinical applications. SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and cytotoxicity assays were used to analyze differences in protein components of toad venom from different areas. Functional proteins were screened as potential quality markers by proteomic and bioinformatic analyses. The protein components and small molecular components of toad venom were not correlated in content. Additionally, the protein component had strong cytotoxicity. Proteomics analysis showed that 13 antimicrobial proteins, four anti-inflammatory and analgesic proteins, and 20 antitumor proteins were differentially expressed extracellular proteins. A candidate list of functional proteins was coded as potential quality markers. Moreover, Lysozyme C-1, which has antimicrobial activity, and Neuropeptide B (NPB), which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, were identified as potential quality markers for toad venom proteins. Quality markers can be used as the basis of quality studies of toad venom proteins and help to construct and improve safe, scientific, and comprehensive quality evaluation methods.

Mechanism and Prospect of Gastrodin in Osteoporosis, Bone Regeneration, and Osseointegration

Gastrodin, a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, is widely used to treat vascular and neurological diseases. However, recently, an increasing number of studies have shown that gastrodin has anti-osteoporosis effects, and its mechanisms of action include its antioxidant effect, anti-inflammatory effect, and anti-apoptotic effect. In addition, gastrodin has many unique advantages in promoting bone healing in tissue engineering, such as inducing high hydrophilicity in the material surface, its anti-inflammatory effect, and pro-vascular regeneration. Therefore, this paper summarized the effects and mechanisms of gastrodin on osteoporosis and bone regeneration in the current research. Here we propose an assumption that the use of gastrodin in the surface loading of oral implants may greatly promote the osseointegration of implants and increase the success rate of implants. In addition, we speculated on the potential mechanisms of gastrodin against osteoporosis, by affecting actin filament polymerization, renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and ferroptosis, and proposed that the potential combination of gastrodin with Mg2+, angiotensin type 2 receptor blockers or artemisinin may greatly inhibit osteoporosis. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference for more in-depth research and application of gastrodin in the treatment of osteoporosis and implant osseointegration in the future.

The gastrodin biosynthetic pathway in Pholidota chinensis Lindl. revealed by transcriptome and metabolome profiling

Pholidota chinensis Lindl. is an epiphytic or lithophytic perennial herb of Orchidaceae family used as a garden flower or medicinal plant to treat high blood pressure, dizziness and headache in traditional Chinese medicine. Gastrodin (GAS) is considered as a main bioactive ingredient of this herb but the biosynthetic pathway remains unclear in P. chinensis. To elucidate the GAS biosynthesis and identify the related genes in P. chinensis, a comprehensive analysis of transcriptome and metabolome of roots, rhizomes, pseudobulbs and leaves were performed by using PacBio SMART, Illumina Hiseq and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). A total of 1,156 metabolites were identified by UPLC-MS/MS, of which 345 differential metabolites were mainly enriched in phenylpropanoid/phenylalanine, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. The pseudobulbs make up nearly half of the fresh weight of the whole plant, and the GAS content in the pseudobulbs was also the highest in four tissues. Up to 23,105 Unigenes were obtained and 22,029 transcripts were annotated in the transcriptome analysis. Compared to roots, 7,787, 8,376 and 9,146 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in rhizomes, pseudobulbs and leaves, respectively. And in total, 80 Unigenes encoding eight key enzymes for GAS biosynthesis, were identified. Particularly, glycosyltransferase, the key enzyme of the last step in the GAS biosynthetic pathway had 39 Unigenes candidates, of which, transcript28360/f2p0/1592, was putatively identified as the most likely candidate based on analysis of co-expression, phylogenetic analysis, and homologous searching. The metabolomics and transcriptomics of pseudobulbs versus roots showed that 8,376 DEGs and 345 DEMs had a substantial association based on the Pearson's correlation. This study notably enriched the metabolomic and transcriptomic data of P. chinensis, and it provides valuable information for GAS biosynthesis in the plant.