Antihypothyroid Effect of Salidroside

Abstract

In terms of prevalence, thyroid pathology, associated both with a violation of the gland function and changes in its structure, occupies one of the main places in clinical endocrinology. The problem of developing low-toxic and highly effective herbal preparations for the correction of thyroid hypofunction and its complications is urgent. Salidroside is a glucoside of tyrosol, found mostly in the roots of Rhodiola spp., and has various positive biological activities. The purpose of this study was to study the antihypothyroid potential of salidrosid-containing extract from R. semenovii roots, which was evaluated on a mercazolyl hypothyroidism model. We showed that extract containing salidroside is a safe and effective means of hypothyroidism correction, significantly reducing (p ≤ 0.001) the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone and increasing the level of thyroid hormones. The combined use of R. semenovii extract with potassium iodide enhances the therapeutic effect of the extract by 1.3-times.

Keywords: Rhodiola semenovii Boriss.; antihypothyroid effect; salidroside; thyroid.

Figure 1

Chromatogram of salidroside standard and extract of Rhodiola semenovii roots: Dry residue content in extract 4: (100 × 0.4367)/42.8450 = 1.02%; Tyrosol content in dry part of extract: (100 × 27.442 × 3.3/20)/(80.025 × 169.8/3) = 0.0999% (calibr. sol. 2–220 nm); Salidroside content in the dry part of extract: 0.217%.

Figure 2

Indicators of the level of thyroid hormones and thyroglobulin on the hypothyroidism model after correction with R. semenovii extract, alone and in combination with potassium iodide. Values presented are means (±SD). Different letters above the bars represent significant differences at p ≤ 0.05.

Figure 3

Changes in the tissues of the thyroid gland of rats with mercazolyl hypothyroidism and its treatment with an extract of R. semenovii: (a) hypothyroidism—a small amount of colloid is represented by PAS (periodic acid Schiff reaction)—positive drops that do not fill the lumen of the follicles, which indicates a decrease in secretion by thyrocytes, coloration of PAS—hematoxylin—orange G, (b) focal nodular formations in the form of solid follicle-like structures, without colloid, formed by proliferating epithelium from follicles, coloration of hematoxylin and eosin, (c) treatment with R. semenovii, absence of fibrous and nodular formations, improvement in thyrocytes structure, vascular plethora, coloration of PAS—hematoxylin—orange, (d) treatment with R. semenovii extract in combination with KI, homogeneous cytoplasm of thyrocytes, absence of nodules in the stroma, preservation of plethora, coloration of hematoxylin and eosin. 1—PAS-positive drops; 2—follicle-like structures; 3—full-blood vessels; scale bar = 200 µm.

Figure 4

Hematological parameters of rats with hypothyroidism after correction with R. semenovii extract alone and that in combination with potassium iodide. Values presented are means (±SD). Different letters above the bars represent significant differences at p ≤ 0.05.

Figure 5

Indicators of the level of bilirubin, transaminases on the hypothyroidism model after correction with R. semenovii extract alone and the one in combination with potassium iodide. Different letters above the bars represent significant differences at p ≤ 0.05.