Gastrodin Promotes the Survival of Random-Pattern Skin Flaps via Autophagy Flux Stimulation

The random-pattern flap has a significant application in full mouth restoration (reconstructive surgery) and plastic surgery owing to an easy operation with no axial vascular restriction. However, distal necrosis after flap operation is still considered the most common complication which makes it the Achilles heel in the clinical application of random-pattern flaps. A Chinese medicinal herb named gastrodin is an effective active ingredient of Gastrodia. Herein, the existing study explored the significant potential of gastrodin on flap survival and its underlying mechanism. Our obtained results show that gastrodin will significantly improve flap survival, reduce tissue edema, and increase blood flow. Furthermore, our studies reveal that gastrodin can promote angiogenesis and reduce the apoptotic process as well as oxidative stress. The results of immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting revealed that gastrodin has a role in the elevation of autophagy flux which results in induced autophagy. The use of 3MA (3-methyladenine) for the inhibition of induced autophagy significantly weakened the underlying benefits of gastrodin treatment. Taken together, our obtained results confirmed that gastrodin is an effective drug that can considerably promote the survival rate of flaps (random pattern) via enhancing autophagy. Enhanced autophagy is correlated with the elevation of angiogenesis, reduced level of oxidative stress, and inhibition of cell apoptosis.