Tianma Gouteng Yin Extract and its Ability to Diminish Parkinson’s Disease Neural Damage

Neurodegenerative disorders are extremely prevalent in aging populations due to the natural course of aging that involves cognitive decline. Parkinson’s disease is among the most common of age-dependent brain disorders. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is classified as a starting tremor in hands that exacerbates to compromised motor functions. The nervous system is impacted in the area that controls motion, causing delayed or slower motion as well as stiffness. Motion extends from the limbs to the facial region, with masked expressions and slurred speech. A variety of genetic and environmental influences have been examined in the etiology of PD. Neurotoxins in the environment can drive the onset of Parkinson’s disease by interfering with cellular pathways that support proper motion. Genome wide studies further revealed familial genetic factors that contain genes proven to be causal of this neurodegenerative disorder.

With age comes susceptibility to interfering medications, improper medication use, and compromised immunity, necessitating holistic treatment for cognitive impairment. Traditional Chinese Medicine is an explored answer to this call for safe and natural remedies in Parkinson’s disease development. One in particular, Tianma Gouteng Yin (TGY) is a Chinese decoction frequently implemented for the treatment of tremors and paralysis1. Chinese decoction is the process of boiling crude herbs and extracting water to concentrate a pure substance in the herb. Flies exposed to a neurotoxin, Rotenone, were administered doses of TGY to observe effects. TGY not only promoted higher survival rates in the flies, but it also improved motor functionality and stamina. Rotenone is a neurotoxin, capable of inducing cellular death in dopaminergic brain cells. TGY significantly prevented cellular death despite Rotenone mechanisms. These results were mirrored in a rat model as well, translating the findings into mammalian species.

Synuclein is another player involved with Parkinson’s disease whose protein overproduction inflicts neural damage and motor defects. Additionally this neurotoxin acts to reduce dopamine levels in the brain and promote neuron loss. In flies with overexposed synuclein but treatment of TGY, motor function improved significantly despite the presence of a neural inhibitor. TGY successively preserved neuron content in the brain and stabilized dopamine levels, indicating preserved neural capabilities. By reducing neurotoxicity in the brain, TGY was able to reverse and further prevent the damage of synuclein on physical function of the flies.

This study supported the use of Tianma Gouteng Yin for Parkinson’s disease treatment by illustrating its ability to reverse and prevent the actions of harmful neurotoxins in the brain. Flavonoids and iridoids in the decocted TGY are known as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents that can also prevent cellular death. These components are likely responsible for the observed benefits of TGY in Parkinson’s disease treatment.

Reference—
Liu L-F, Song J-X, Lu J-H, et al. Tianma Gouteng Yin, a Traditional Chinese Medicine decoction, exerts neuroprotective effects in animal and cellular models of Parkinson’s disease. Scientific Reports. 2015;5:16862. doi:10.1038/srep16862.