title: Therapeutic potential of Gastrodia elata Blume for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Several studies have demonstrated that the Chinese herb Gastrodia elata Blume can protect against amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ)-induced cell death. To investigate the possible therapeutic effects of Gastrodia elata Blume on Alzheimer's disease, we established a rat model of Alzheimer's disease by injecting Aβ25-35 into bilateral hippocampi. These rats were intragastrically administered 500 or 1 000 mg/kg Gastrodia elata Blume per day for 52 consecutive days. Morris water maze tests showed that Gastrodia elata Blume treatment significantly improved the spatial memory of Alzheimer's disease rats. Congo red staining revealed that Gastrodia elata Blume significantly reduced the number of amyloid deposits in the hippocampus of these rats. Western blot analysis showed that choline acetyltransferase expression in the medial septum and hippocampus was significantly increased by the treatment of Gastrodia elata Blume, while Ellman method showed significant decrease in the activity of acetylcholinesterase in all three regions (prefrontal cortex, medial septum and hippocampus). These findings suggest that long-term administration of Gastrodia elata Blume has therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Guang-Biao
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sushma Shrestha
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Muna
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Ii
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Muju Chunma Native Local Industrial Center, Muju 568-844, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Muju Chunma Native Local Industrial Center, Muju 568-844, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bo-Hee
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Center for Functional Foods, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Wan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Center for Functional Foods, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sun-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Center for Functional Foods, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Center for Functional Foods, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Ock
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Center for Functional Foods, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea ; Department of Pharmacology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chung
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Gastrodia elata Blume; Morris water maze test; Traditional Chinese medicine; acetylcholinesterase; choline acetyltransferase; grants-supported paper; neural regeneration; neuroprotective effect; neuroregeneration