Vanillyl alcohol (VA) is a component of
Gastrodia elata Bl.
(GE), which is a traditional Chinese
herb widely used to treat convulsive disorders or dizziness. This study examined the role of VA in the
anticonvulsive properties of GE in a Sprague-Dawley rat model of epilepsy. The anticonvulsive and
free radical scavenging activities of VA were examined after intracortical injection of ferric chloride
(100 mM, 8 l) to induce epileptic seizures. These seizures were veriÞed by behavioral observations
and electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) recordings. Ferric chloride injection
resulted in increased lipid peroxide levels in the ipsilateral and contralateral cerebral cortex, and
increased luminol-chemiluminescence (CL) and lucigenin-CL counts in the peripheral blood. Intraperitoneal
injection (i.p.) of VA (200 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) or phenytoin 10 mg/kg prior to ferric chloride
administration signiÞcantly inhibited wet dog shakes (WDS) and lipid peroxide levels in the bilateral
cerebral cortex. VA 200 mg/kg also signiÞcantly reduced luminol-CL and lucigenin-CL counts in
the peripheral blood, but no signiÞcant effect was observed following administration of VA 100 mg/kg
or phenytoin. These data indicate that VA has both anticonvulsive and suppressive effects on seizures
and lipid peroxidation induced by ferric chloride in rats. Data from the present study also demonstrate
that VA has free radical scavenging activities, which may be responsible for its anticonvulsive properties.
This Þnding is consistent with the results from previous studies that generation of superoxide radical
evoked by injection of iron salt into rat brain plays a critical role in ferric chloride-induced seizures.
In addition, the results of the present study suggest that the anticonvulsive effect of GE may be
attributable, at least in part, to its VA component.
