Gastrodia elata shows neuroprotective effects via activation of PI3K signaling against oxidative glutamate toxicity in HT22 cells.

Dried roots of Gastrodia elata have traditionally been used in Korean medicine for the treatment of neurological disorders such as scotodinia, paralysis, and epilepsy. In our study, we attempted to investigate the neuroprotective effects of methanol extract from G. elata (MEGE) against glutamate-mediated oxidative stress and to explore underlying neuroprotective mechanisms. Analyses for cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), flow cytometry, Western blot, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed in HT22 hippocampal cells. Pretreatment with MEGE resulted in a potent neuroprotective effect against oxidative glutamate toxicity and these effects were exerted mainly by the abrogation of glutamate-induced apoptotic death. Treatment with glutamate resulted in a significant expression of both phosphorylated p38 and dephosphorylated phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K). However, pretreatment with MEGE resulted in the inhibition of these expressions. In the inhibitor studies, treatment with PI3K inhibitor LY294002 resulted in the abrogation of the neuroprotective effect of MEGE. In addition, pretreatment with MEGE also resulted in the suppression of the glutamate-induced production of ROS. Treatment with MEGE and anti-oxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) resulted in the enhanced phosphorylation of both PI3K and cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB), and, in particular, treatment with MEGE resulted in significantly enhanced expression of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These results suggest that the extract from G. elata mainly exerted neuroprotective effects through the up-regulation of the PI3K signaling pathway in association with BDNF and may be a useful therapeutic agent for treatment of oxidative neuronal death.