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An overdose of acetaminophen (AAP) causes hepatic and renal toxicity. This study examined the protective effects of Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB) on hepatic and renal injury induced by AAP. Rats were orally administered distilled water or GEB for 14 days and injected with AAP 1 h after the oral last administration; control rats were administered water without AAP injection. All rats were sacrificed 24 h after AAP injection. The GEB pretreatment group showed decreased necrosis and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the liver and kidney. TUNEL-positive cells and oxidative stress marker, such as malondialdehyde, were decreased. However, antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase, were increased. The expression of CYP2E1 and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase was decreased in the GEB pretreatment group. This study shows that GEB prevents AAP-induced liver and kidney injury.

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are environmental pollutants, and dietary intake is a major route of human exposure to them. We aimed to see the effects of washing, soaking, and cooking (grilling, braising, frying, and steaming) on the change of PFCs in mackerel fillets and PFCs before and after each treatment were analyzed using LC‐MS/MS. Washing resulted in a decrease in the PFC content of mackerel (average 74%) comparing to control. Among the 19 PFCs detected, perfluorobutanoic acid and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) were found to be abundant after washing. Soaking mackerel in sake reduced its PFC content by 51%, whereas soaking in rice‐washed solution reduced by 80% comparing to control. All the four cooking methods were effective in reducing the PFC content of mackerel. The degree by which the PFC content decreased varied with the cooking method: grilling (91%), steaming (75%), frying (58%), and braising (47%) comparing to uncooked sample. In addition, when mackerel was braised with potato, PFCs decreased more in fillet than the ones without potato. PFCs in potato increased after cooking with mackerel. The excessive consumption through the mackerel was 0.1997 ng/kg bw/day and 0.7987 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. These exposure levels were well below the tolerable daily intake values of both compounds (PFOS, 150 ng/kg bw/day; PFOA, 1,500 ng/kg bw/day). The results of this study indicated that employing appropriate pretreatment and cooking methods could be an effective way to reduce the dietary exposure to PFCs in mackerel.

To investigate the effects of Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB) and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) on brain damage, GEB or HBA was administered orally for 14 days before middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After 24 h reperfusion, the proportion of circling was significantly reduced in the GEB (79%) or HBA (69%) group compared to the MCAO group (100%) in the corner test, and the removal time in the adhesive removal test was significantly decreased in the GEB (117 ± 21.0 s) and HBA (101 ± 20.9 s) groups compared to the MCAO group (161 ± 12.6 s). GEB treatment significantly reduced infarct volume compared to the MCAO group. In the GEB and HBA group, necrosis of nerve cells in hippocampus and cortex, expressions of TNF-a and TUNEL positive cells were significantly reduced compared to the MCAO group. These results suggest that GEB and HBA prevents brain damage by anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. Keywords Middle cerebral artery occlusion Á Brain ischemia Á Gastrodia elata Blume Á 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol Á Rat

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