Gastrodin (GTD)

Gastrodin is a natural phenol. It is the glucoside of 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (gastrodigenin). Gastrodin is one of the natural compound isolated from Gastrodia elata and has known anticonvulsant effects, although the exact pharmacological principles of this natural compound and its effects on other aspects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism in vivo have not been explored. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of gastrodin on GABA metabolism in the gerbil hippocampus were examined, in an effort to identify the antiepileptic characteristics of this substance. Gastrodin reduced the seizure score in the treated group, although the immunoreactivities of GABA synthetic enzymes and GABA transporters were unaltered in gastrodin-treated animals. Interestingly, in the gastrodin-treated group, GABA transaminase (GABA-T) immunoreactivity in the hippocampus, particularly in neurons, was significantly decreased.