Review on the Potential Anti-aging Effects of Gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata) is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been widely used in China. We systematically reviewed tonic and life-extending records in ancient medical literature, as well as the life-prolonging and senescence-delaying effects identified in modern pharmacological research, to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application and product development of G. elata in tonification and anti-aging. Scientific databases, including CNKI (Chinese literature) and PubMed, were searched to gather relevant literature on the anti-aging effects of G. elata. The targets of the main chemical components of G. elata were predicted and collected through a database, and the intersection of compound targets and disease targets was identified. Protein-protein interaction network analysis, Gene Ontology enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the potential mechanisms underlying the anti-aging effects of G. elata. The record of G. elata demonstrates a definitive life-extending effect. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that it prolongs the lifespan of short-lived animals and slows the aging processes of the brain, skin, bone, and skeletal muscle in animals. Network pharmacology analysis identified 15 common targets shared between candidate target genes of G. elata and anti-aging target genes. TP53, ESR1, EP300, SIRT1, STAT3, CCND1, HDAC2, MDM2, PPARG, TNF, and HSP90AA1 were identified as core genes in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the anti-aging mechanisms of G. elata may be associated with chemical receptor activation, insulin resistance, the citric acid cycle, the PPAR signaling pathway, the glucagon signaling pathway, and the thyroid hormone signaling pathway. This article summarizes previous studies and modern research on the anti-aging effects of G. elata, suggesting that it holds significant potential for clinical applications in anti-aging.