Gastrodia elata (GE) Blume is one of the most important traditional plants in Oriental countries and has been used for centuries to improve various conditions. The phenolic
glucoside gastrodin is an active constituent of GE. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective role of
gastrodin in
1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+))/1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-
tetrahydropyridine- (
MPTP) induced human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells and mouse model of
Parkinson's disease (PD), respectively.
Gastrodin significantly and dose dependently protected dopaminergic neurons against neurotoxicity through regulating
free radicals, Bax/Bcl-2
mRNA,
caspase-3, and cleaved
poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in SH-SY5Y cells stressed with MPP(+).
Gastrodin also showed
neuroprotective effects in the subchronic
MPTP mouse PD model by ameliorating
bradykinesia and motor impairment in the pole and rotarod tests, respectively. Consistent with this finding,
gastrodin prevented
dopamine depletion and reduced reactive
astrogliosis caused by
MPTP as assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in the substantiae nigrae and striatata of mice. Moreover,
gastrodin was also effective in preventing neuronal apoptosis by attenuating
antioxidant and antiapoptotic activities in these brain areas. These results strongly suggest that
gastrodin has protective effects in experimental PD models and that it may be developed as a clinical candidate to ameliorate PD symptoms.