Echinacoside Isolated from Cistanche tubulosa Putatively Stimulates Growth Hormone Secretion via Activation of the Ghrelin Receptor.

Article Details

Citation

Wu CJ, Chien MY, Lin NH, Lin YC, Chen WY, Chen CH, Tzen JTC

Echinacoside Isolated from Cistanche tubulosa Putatively Stimulates Growth Hormone Secretion via Activation of the Ghrelin Receptor.

Molecules. 2019 Feb 17;24(4). pii: molecules24040720. doi: 10.3390/molecules24040720.

PubMed ID
30781558 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

Cistanche species, the ginseng of the desert, has been recorded to possess many biological activities in traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia and has been used as an anti-aging medicine. Three phenylethanoid glycosides-echinacoside, tubuloside A, and acteoside-were detected in the water extract of Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) R. Wight and the major constituent, echinacoside, was further purified. Echinacoside of a concentration higher than 10(-6) M displayed significant activity to stimulate growth hormone secretion of rat pituitary cells. Similar to growth hormone-releasing hormone-6, a synthetic analog of ghrelin, the stimulation of growth hormone secretion by echinacoside was inhibited by [D-Arg(1), D-Phe(5), D-Trp(7,9), Leu(11)]-substance P, an inverse agonist of the ghrelin receptor. Molecular modeling showed that all the three phenylethanoid glycosides adequately interacted with the binding pocket of the ghrelin receptor, and echinacoside displayed a slightly better interaction with the receptor than tubuloside A and acteoside. The results suggest that phenylethanoid glycosides, particularly echinacoside, are active constituents putatively responsible for the anti-aging effects of C. tubulosa and may be considered to develop as non-peptidyl analogues of ghrelin.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Targets
DrugTargetKindOrganismPharmacological ActionActions
EchinacosideGrowth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1ProteinHumans
Unknown
Agonist
Details