Ether fraction of methanol extracts of Gastrodia elata, a traditional medicinal herb, protects against kainic acid-induced neuronal damage in the mouse hippocampus.

Gastrodia elata (GE) has been used traditionally for the treatment of convulsive diseases such as epilepsy in oriental countries including South Korea and still occupies an important place in traditional medicine in Asia. We studied the anticonvulsive effect and protective effect of the ether fraction of methanol extracts (EFME) of GE against hippocampal neuronal damage after kainic acid administration in mice. Mice were treated with the EFME of GE (200 or 500 mg/kg per day, p.o.) for 14 days before kainic acid injection (45 mg/kg, i.p.). The EFME of GE (at the dose of 500 mg/kg) delayed the onset time of neurobehavioral change (P<0.01) and reduced the severity of convulsions (P<0.05) and hippocampal neuronal damage in the CA1 (P<0.01) and CA3 (P<0.05) regions. Our results show that The EFME of GE has anticonvulsive effect and putative neuroprotective effect against excitotoxicity induced by kainic acid.