Identifying the quality markers and optimizing the processing of Gastrodiae rhizoma to treat brain diseases

Yan Fu; Qingqing Xu; Jinqiang Zhang; Chuanzhi Kang; Changgui Yang; Lumei Guo; Chenggang Zhang; Tao Zhou; Chenghong Xiao

doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1396825

Identifying the quality markers and optimizing the processing of Gastrodiae rhizoma to treat brain diseases

Front Pharmacol. 2024 Nov 6:15:1396825. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1396825. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Resource Institute for Chinese and Ethnic Materia Medica, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China.
² National Key Laboratory for Quality Insurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Chinese Medicine, Guizhou Institute of Food and Drug Control, Guiyang, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Gastrodiae rhizoma (GR) refers to the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata Bl. and has been used for many centuries to treat brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia. However, the processing of GR is complex and varied, resulting in unstable clinical treatment effects. The processing protocols significantly affect the active ingredients and curative effects of GR. We can optimize the processing of GR by identifying quality markers to treat brain diseases.

Methods: Fresh tubers of G. elata Bl. were processed under eight different protocols, and their resulting contents of potentially bioactive compounds were compared using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to screen the potential quality markers of GR through stoichiometric analysis. The potential quality markers of GR targeting Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were identified by network pharmacology, and the potentially neuroprotective effects of these components were validated through simulated docking to likely protein targets. Finally, a fit degree analysis was carried out using different composition ratios and proportions of the disease component degree value, and the therapeutic effects of different processing methods on Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were outlined clearly.

Results: We identified 32 potential therapeutic components and screened 13 quality markers in GR, of which five quality markers (galactinol, glucosyringic acid, parishins C and E, and S-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-glutathione) showed efficacy against all three brain diseases. Furthermore, steaming and microwave-drying during processing can optimize the components of these quality markers for treating the three diseases.

Conclusion: Processing protocols significantly affect the therapeutic components of GR and may also impact its effectiveness in treating brain diseases. Accordingly, optimizing the processing methods of GR to correspond to different therapeutic purposes may improve its efficacy against brain diseases.

Keywords: Gastrodia elata BL; fresh-cut processing; metabolomics; network pharmacology; neuroprotection; quality markers.

Grants and funding

The authors declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was funded by the research platform team project of the education department of Guizhou Province [Qian-jiao-ji (2022) 021], Science and Technology Innovation Project of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CI2021B013), University Science and Technology Innovation Team of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education [Qian-jiao-ji (2023) 071], and National and Provincial Scientific and Technological Innovation Talent Team of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine [Gui-zhong-yi TD he-zi (2022) 003].