Gastrodin Injection Relieves Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury in Newborn Rats by Regulating the P62/Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and disability, yet effective treatments remain limited. Gastrodia elata is a Chinese medicinal herb that has both medicinal and edible properties. Previous studies have shown that gastrodin has neuroprotective potential for brain injury. There is currently no clear evidence proving that gastrodin is toxic to newborns. Gastrodin may be a promising drug for treating HIE. To investigate this, a hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) model in neonatal rats was established, followed by an immediate intraperitoneal injection of gastrodin injection. The model was validated using laser speckle contrast imaging, and brain tissue damage was assessed using hematoxylin-eosin (H it should be noted that this study neither validated direct interactions between proteins nor employed direct counting for neuronal survival rates. Additionally, the long-term effects on the nervous system were not examined at the protein level. These areas represent directions for future research requiring further refinement.