Salidroside, a phenolic compound isolated from various Rhodiola plants, is the principal active constituent of Traditional Chinese Medicine known for its adaptogenic properties.¹

Benefits of Salidroside

Salidroside is a tyrosol found in Rhodiola roseal. (Crassulaceae) with a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-apoptotic, neuroprotective, etc. It has been proven that salidroside is free of any toxic properties, also causes detoxification against toxic agents.²

Zhang et al. showed that treatment of emphysematous rats with salidroside increases body and gastrocnemius weight and reduces inflammatory indicators levels such as TNF-α, IL-6, and modulates oxidative stress via reducing MDA and increasing SOD and GSH levels in the serum and gastrocnemius tissue. Also, this treatment reduces myostatin and increases myogenin expression in gastrocnemius tissue. Myostatin is an inhibitor for myogenin that enhances its activity by oxidative stress and inflammation. Myogenin induces myogenesis and improves pulmonary emphysema.

Biological activities of Salidroside

Due to the challenging environment of Rhodiola species, such as high altitude, high radiation, drought, and hypoxia, the source of salidroside is scarce. However, numerous studies have shown that salidroside has a range of biological activities, including cardiovascular and central nervous system activity, and anti-hypoxia, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging activities. Although previous studies have partially summarized the pharmacological effects of salidroside, the overall pharmacological effects have not been analyzed.

Isolation and Purification of Salidroside

The isolation and purification of salidroside is a key process for measuring the content of salidroside. At present, the main methods used in the isolation and purification of salidroside include solvent extraction, double-water-phase extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, supercritical CO2 extraction, enzyme hydrolysis, flash extraction, ultra-high-pressure extraction, multi-technology-coupling extraction, and so on.

Side effects

Rhodiola is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth, short-term (for up to 6-10 weeks). The safety of long-term use is not known. The potential side effects of rhodiola are not known.

Reference

[1] Keke Liang. “Salidroside: An Overview of Its Promising Potential and Diverse Applications.”Pharmaceuticals 17 12 (2024).

[2] Sayed Vahid Jasemi . “Natural products in the treatment of pulmonary emphysema: Therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action.”Phytomedicine 99 (2022): Article 153988.