Mechanisms for the biological activity of Gastrodia elata Blume and its constituents: A comprehensive review on sedative-hypnotic, and antidepressant properties.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia and depressive disorder are two common symptoms with a reciprocal causal relationship in clinical practice, which are usually manifested in comorbid form. Several medications have been widely used in the treatment of insomnia and depression, but most of these drugs show non-negligible side effects. Currently, many treatments are indicated for insomnia and depressive symptom, including Chinese herbal medicine such as Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata), which has excellent sedative-hypnotic and antidepressant effects in clinical and animal studies. PURPOSE: To summarize the mechanisms of insomnia and depression and the structure-activity mechanism for G. elata to alleviate these symptoms, particularly by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and intestinal flora, aiming to discover new approaches for the treatment of insomnia and depression. METHODS: The following electronic databases were searched from the beginning to November 2023: PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Wanfang Database, and CNKI. The following keywords of G. elata were used truncated with other relevant topic terms, such as depression, insomnia, antidepressant, sedative-hypnotic, neuroprotection, application, safety, and toxicity. RESULTS: Natural compounds derived from G. elata could alleviate insomnia and depressive disorder, which is involved in monoamine neurotransmitters, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and gut microbes, etc. Several clinical trials showed that G. elata-derived natural compounds that treat depression and insomnia have significant and safe therapeutic effects, but further well-designed clinical and toxicological studies are needed. CONCLUSION: G. elata exerts a critical role in treating depression and insomnia due to its multi-targeting properties and fewer side effects. However, more clinical and toxicological studies should be performed to further explore the sedative-hypnotic and antidepressant mechanisms of G. elata and provide more evidence and recommendations for its clinical application. Our review provides an overview of G. elata treating insomnia with depression for future research direction.

Apoptosis of human pancreatic carcinoma cell-1 cells induced by Yin Chen Hao Decoction.

AIM: To evaluate human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (PANC-1) cells apoptosis and Bcl-2 and Bax expression induced by Yin Chen Hao Decoction (YCHD). METHODS: The cell growth inhibitory rate was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis of PANC-1 cells before and after treatment with YCHD was determined by TUNEL staining. Expression of the apoptosis-associated genes, Bcl-2 and Bax, was detected by immunohistochemical staining and reverse transcription -PCR. RESULTS: YCHD inhibited the growth of PANC-1 cells. Following treatment with YCHD for 24-96 h, the apoptotic rate of PANC-1 cells increased with time. In addition, the positive rate of Bcl-2 protein expression decreased in a time-dependent manner, whereas the positive rate of Bax protein expression increased in a time-dependent manner. Following treatment of with YCHD for 24-96h, expression of BAX mRNA increased gradually and BCL-2 mRNA reduced gradually with time. CONCLUSION: YCHD induces apoptosis of PANC-1 cells mediated in part via up-regulation of BAX and down-regulation of BCL-2.

[Effects of wheat-oilseed rape or wheat-garlic intercropping on the population dynamics of Sitobion avenae and its main natural enemies].

Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) is one of the most important pests of winter wheat in China. An investigation was conducted at the experimental farm of Shandong Agricultural University to study the effects of intercropping oilseed rape or garlic with winter wheat on the population dynamics of S. avenae and its main natural enemies. The results showed that in most cases, the population density of S. avenae apterae was significantly lower in wheat-oilseed rape and wheat-garlic intercropping fields than in wheat monoculture field. The population density of ladybeetle and the ratio of ladybeetle to S. avenae were higher in wheat-oilseed rape intercropping field. Before May 2, the population density of aphid parasitoids in wheat-oilseed rape intercropping field was higher than that in wheat-garlic intercropping field and wheat monoculture field; and after May 5, the mummy rate of aphid parasitoids and the ratio of aphid parasitoids to S. avenae in wheat-oilseed rape intercropping field were significantly higher than those in the other two fields. In wheat-garlic intercropping field, S. avenae alatae had a higher population amount, but no significant change was observed in the population amounts of ladybeetle and aphid parasitoids. It was concluded that wheat-oilseed rape or wheat-garlic intercropping could control S. avenae in wheat fields.