p-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol, an Active Phenolic Ingredient of Gastrodia elata, Reverses the Cycloheximide-Induced Memory Deficit by Activating the Adrenal Gland in Rats

Abstract

The present study investigated the ameliorating effects of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA), an active phenolic ingredient of Gastrodia elata, on cycloheximide (CXM)-induced impairment of passive avoidance response and clarified the role of adrenal glands on the effect of HBA in rats. An adrenalectomy (ADX) caused the memory deficit from 1 to 3 days after surgery. Administration of corticosterone (CORT) plus glucose completely recovered the memory deficit caused by ADX, and this effect was better than that of glucose or CORT alone. HBA ameliorated the memory deficit induced by CXM in sham and ADX rats, but ADX partially blocked it. Furthermore, plasma glucose, epinephrine and adrenal steroid levels of ADX rats significantly decreased. Sham rats who received HBA had an increase in plasma glucose and adrenal steroid levels. Therefore, we suggest that the reversal of CXM-induced memory deficit by HBA was partially dependent on adrenal glands through the increase of the levels of plasma adrenal steroids.

Para-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol Delays the Progression of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Models of Caenorhabditis elegans through Activating Multiple Cellular Protective Pathways

“…The abovementioned results suggest that HBA extends the lifespan of C. elegans by activating multiple cellular protective pathways. Our study supports the previous report that HBA could prevent A β 1-42 oligomer-induced synaptic and cognitive damage through Nrf2 in mice [ 46 ].…”

“…The HBA oxidation product 4-hydroxybenzoic acid could increase longevity and stress resistance in C. elegans through antioxidant activity and DAF-16/FOXO activation [ 42 ]. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities [ 43 , 44 ] of HBA could accelerate wound healing [ 45 ], improve memory [ 46 – 49 ], and protect against neuroexcitatory toxicity [ 50 , 51 ] and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [ 52 ]. In the screening of mutated E. coli strains against neurodegenerative diseases in models of C. elegans , we found that one strain containing high content of HBA has the relatively higher activity against neurodegenerative diseases (unpublished data).…”

One‐Pot Cascade Biotransformation for Efficient Synthesis of Benzyl Alcohol and Its Analogs

“…To further explore the compatibility of our established enzymatic cascade for other aromatic alcohol products, we employed the same enzymatic cascade for synthesizing p ‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol, a useful compound with great commercial values (Table ). For example, p ‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol is the active phenolic ingredient of Gastrodia elata and it also has various biological functions including anti‐oxidant, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐tumor and anti‐apoptosis activities . As shown from Figure 2A, biotransformation studies revealed that L‐Tyr was rapidly converted to p ‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol, reaching a concentration of 4.68 mM (580.98 mg L −1 ) p ‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol with 93.6% conversion after 24 h reaction.…”

Fragmentation pathways of deprotonated ortho‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol

“…Hydroxybenzyl alcohols (HBAs) and their congeners are widely used in herbal medicines 1,2 . The para isomer known by the common name gastrodigenin, which is found in the rhizome of the Chinese medical herb Gastrodia elata , has neuroprotective effects, and it is extensively studied as a treatment for ischemic brain injury 3–15 . HBA derivatives in general show a variety of beneficial pharmacological properties such as anti‐asthmatic, 16 sedative, 17 anti‐depressant, 18,19 anti‐inflammatory, anti‐nociceptive, and anti‐angiogenic activity 20–23 .…”