What is salidroside?
Salidroside is the most studied bioactive component of Rhodiola rosea. Chemically known as 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, salidroside is a glucoside of tyrosol. It is present in the roots of Rhodiola species, which owe their essential medicinal properties to it.
Rhodiola, also known as golden root, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Crassulaceae family. Very resilient and cold-tolerant, it thrives in extreme climates, on rocky slopes, cliffs, and screes of high mountains. It can be found in Northern and Central Europe (also in France, in the Alps and the Pyrenees), North America, Central Asia, and Western Siberia.
The underground part of Rhodiola rosea is used in phytotherapy and nutraceuticals for its health properties and benefits. Like ginseng and eleuthero, Rhodiola is an adaptogenic plant, meaning it helps support the body by increasing its resistance to various physical, chemical, and biological stress factors.
A long story already…
From the medicinal use of Rhodiola rosea
Rodia riza was first described by Dioscorides, a Greek physician, pharmacologist, and botanist, in his work “De Materia Medica” in 77 AD. It was Linnaeus in 1725 who gave it the name Rhodiola rosea, referring to the rose scent emitted by the root.
In traditional Chinese medicine, Rhodiola, known as Hong jing tian in Chinese, is used to tonify the Qi, the vital energy that animates all forms of life. The plant’s rhizome has been used for centuries to increase the body’s resistance to stress and to improve physical performance, as well as to reduce fatigue and fight various infections.
For example, E. Stojcheva and J.C. Quintela note that Rhodiola rosea is a valuable medicinal plant in the traditional and popular medicine of a number of European and Asian countries.
To the Russian’s secret research
Finding plants or molecules capable of making the soldiers of the Red Army more combative and resilient was the task of Russian scientists in the 1940s.
And Nikolai Lazarev, a Russian pharmacologist and toxicologist, found the solution after studying plants such as ginseng. In 1947, he defined the concept of “adaptogenic” plants. According to him, an adaptogenic substance is “a pharmacological substance capable of inducing in an organism a state of non-specific increased resistance that allows it to counterbalance stress signals and adapt to exceptional effort.”
Rhodiola caught his attention due to particularly promising results.
Russian scientists then discovered that this “Golden Root,” as they called it, helped soldiers stay alert and full of energy during sleep deprivation tests and improved the mood of cosmonauts at the Russian space station after weeks of living in close quarters. Rhodiola was then tested on almost all types of Olympic athletes, Bolshoi ballerinas, and top chess players, resulting in increased endurance, reduced recovery time, better concentration, and less stress. Rhodiola rosea has been listed in the Russian Pharmacopoeia since 1969.
Recent clinical studies: a few examples
The role of Rhodiola rosea in stress-linked fatigue
In 2000, V. Darbinyan and al. conducted a double-blind, crossover study to study the effects of a standardized extract of R. rosea (SHR-5) given as a low-dose repeated treatment on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night shifts. The experiment lasted two weeks. The results showed that fatigue scores were reduced, and cognitive abilities and overall mental performance were increased compared to the placebo.
Similarly, in 2009, E. Olsson and al. reported that Rhodiola rosea SHR-5 extract triggers an anti-fatigue effect that enhances mental performance, especially the ability to focus, and reduces the cortisol response to awakening stress in patients suffering from exhaustion with a fatigue syndrome.
The role of Rhodiola rosea on sports performances
In 2010, A. Parisi and al. established that chronic supplementation of Rhodiola rosea can reduce both lactate levels and parameters of skeletal muscle damage after exhaustive physical training sessions. Their observations confirm that Rhodiola rosea can increase one’s capacity to adapt to physical exercise.
Later, in 2013, E. Noreen and al. conducted a double-blind study on the effects of an acute oral dose of 3 mg/kg of Rhodiola rosea on the endurance performances of a training session, the sense of perceived exertion, the mood, and the cognitive function of cyclists. They noted that compared to a group receiving a placebo, cyclists taking Rhodiola root had a lower heart rate during the warm-up preceding a training session and completed the timed trial more quickly.
Finally, a systematic review was conducted in 2023 by P. Sanz-Barrio, E. Noreen and al. to determine whether a supplementation with Rhodiola rosea could affect muscle damage and physical performance. In summary, they noted that:
- Acute supplementation with Rhodiola rosea has a positive effect on endurance performance and the Rate of perceived exertion (RPE)
- Chronic supplementation has a positive effect on performance during intense physical activity (anaerobic exercises) and may have a beneficial influence on muscle injuries. However, this effect is not observed during endurance activity (aerobic exercises).
Interests and benefits of salidroside
Salidroside, as emphasized by Xumin Zhang and al., is one of the most potent compounds isolated from Rhodiola. It plays a significant role in its effectiveness.
Numerous recent studies, including those conducted by Xumin Zhang and al., Panossian et al., and Mangani and al., highlight the particular interest of salidroside due to its unique biological properties: anti-fatigue, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardiovascular, and anti-osteoporotic effects.
Similarly, Hsiu-Mei Chiang and al. summarize in their article the adaptogenic, anti-fatigue, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, anticancer, and immunomodulatory bioactivities of Rhodiola and its main active component, salidroside, as well as their potential effect in the prevention of cardiovascular, neural, hepatic, and skin disorders.
Mangani and al. also suggest that the numerous and diverse biological and pharmacological properties of salidroside could have applications in the treatment of certain diseases or disorders in the near future.
Additionally, many dietary supplements highlight salidroside for its benefits in overall well-being, stress management, and its anti-fatigue effects.
The challenges linked to the growing interest in salidroside
The increasing interest for salidroside has led to a growing demand in the cognitive and sports nutrition market. A report published by Future Market Insights indicates that the size of the global sports nutrition market reached $22.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to rise to $52.11 billion by 2032. The IMF estimates market revenues to exceed $61.6 billion by 2033, implying a Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% for the global sports nutrition market.
However, the growing interest in salidroside faces several challenges:
- The salidroside content in Rhodiola rosea is low, around 0.8 to 1%.
- Overexploitation of natural resources poses a threat to wild populations of Rhodiola. Rhodiola sp. has for instance been added to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list.
- Cultivation is possible but challenging because the plant has a very long maturation period between planting and harvesting (about 5 years), and because harvesting and processing require a lot of labor.
- Chemical extraction and synthesis are inefficient.
Therefore, as scientists such as Michael P. Torrens-Spence and al. and Philip G. Kasprzyk and al. note, obtaining salidroside from Rhodiola rosea roots is lengthy and costly and cannot be widely used. It is therefore necessary to find safe and sustainable alternative sources to promote the clinical development of salidroside and meet the high demand of the global market.
The power of fermentation: sustainable production of salidroside
Thanks to the potential of microorganisms and advances in biosciences, it is now possible to produce pure salidroside through fermentation, in an ethical and sustainable manner. Metabolic engineering is a promising approach for large-scale production of salidroside in heterologous hosts. Bacteria and yeasts have emerged as favorable heterologous hosts for instance.
Researchers Y. Bai and al. have thus achieved biosynthesis of salidroside in a microbial system, while Michael P. Torrens-Spence and al. demonstrated that salidroside production could be carried out in yeast.
Philip G. Kasprzyk and al. presented comprehensive test results supporting the safety of salidroside manufactured via a patented sustainable bioengineering process. Their study confirms that salidroside produced using bacteria is a viable and safe alternative to salidroside from harvested Rhodiola plants, suitable for use as a dietary supplement, food ingredient, or potentially as a pharmaceutical product.
Leveraging its expertise in fermentation, Lesaffre, the parent company of the business unit Gnosis by Lesaffre, has committed to investing in dedicated fermentation platforms in the United States and Europe to provide molecules of natural origin beneficial for human health while reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development.
Who is salidroside for?
The growing practice of sports and fitness activities is one of the reasons for the high demand for sports nutrition products. The high-level athletes seek sports nutrition products to achieve their fitness and wellness goals and improve their performance, endurance, and recovery, the same goes for amateur athletes and people looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Good news on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games, the adaptogenic properties of salidoside are of interest to both top athletes and people seeking well-being and concerned with coping with stress, whether physical or psychological.
The intended use of salidroside is as a dietary supplement with usage indications comparable to those of salidroside derived from Rhodiola extract.
Nowadays, manufacturers of dietary supplements are seeking sustainable and efficient bioactive compounds, particularly for salidroside. In this context, LANDKIND® Pure Salidroside, designed through fermentation, provides a practical, responsible, and environmentally friendly source of the purest form of salidroside. This innovative product supports energy metabolism. It has the potential to mitigate the decline in performance associated with accumulated fatigue and mood disorders, particularly regarding fatigue and sociability.
As the first step in its deployment, Gnosis by Lesaffre launched LANDKIND® Pure Salidroside in the United States, its production benefiting from Lesaffre’s fermentation expertise.
Today, thanks to fermentation and the potential of microorganisms, we can preserve natural resources.
Sources
- Kristina Johnson. Before Steroids, Russians Secretly Studied Herbs. 2016
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/long-before-doping-scandals–russians-were-studying-performance- - Perspectives du marché de la nutrition sportive (2023-2033). Sports Nutrition Market
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sports-nutrition-market / - Emilija Ivanova Stojcheva, José Carlos Quintela
The Effectiveness of Rhodiola rosea L. Preparations in Alleviating Various Aspects of Life-Stress Symptoms and Stress-Induced Conditions—Encouraging Clinical Evidence. Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3902
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27123902 - Magani, Sri K. J.; Mupparthi, Sri D.; Gollapalli, Bhanu Prakash; Shukla, Dhananjay; Tiwari, AK; Gorantala, Jyotsna; Yarla, Nagendra Sastry; Tantravahi, Srinivasan. Current Drug. Salidroside – Can it be a Multifunctional Drug? Metabolism, Volume 21, Number 7, 2020, pp. 512-524
https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200221666200610172105 - Darbinyan V, Kteyan A, Panossian A, Gabielian E, Wikman G, Wagner H. Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue – a double-blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. Phytomedicine 2000; 7: 365 –71 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11081987/
- Darbinyan V, Aslanyan G, Amroyan E, Gabrielyan E, Malmström C, Panossian A. Clinical trial of Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Nord J Psychiatry. 2007;61(5):343-8.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17990195/Clinical trial of Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. - Eric E Noreen, James G Buckley, Stephanie L Lewis, Josef Brandauer, Kristin J Stuempfle. The effects of an acute dose of Rhodiola rosea on endurance exercise performance.
- J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Mar;27(3):839-47. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23443221/
- A Parisi, E Tranchita, G Duranti, E Ciminelli, F Quaranta, R Ceci, C Cerulli, P Borrione, S Sabatini. Effects of chronic Rhodiola Rosea supplementation on sport performance and antioxidant capacity in trained male: preliminary results. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2010 Mar;50(1):57-63. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20308973/
- Erik M Olsson , Bo von Schéele, Alexander G Panossian. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of the standardised extract shr-5 of the roots of Rhodiola rosea in the treatment of subjects with stress-related fatigue. Planta Med. 2009 Feb;75(2):105-12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19016404/
- Patricia M Sanz-Barrio, Eric E Noreen, Laura Gilsanz-Estebaranz, Jorge Lorenzo-Calvo, María Martínez-Ferrán, Helios Pareja-Galeano. Rhodiola rosea supplementation on sports performance: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Phytother Res. 2023 Oct;37(10):4414-4428. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495266/
- Hsiu-Mei Chiang, Hsin-Chun Chen, Chin-Sheng Wu, Po-Yuan Wu et Kuo-Ching Wen. Les bioactivités des plantes de Rhodiola (Hong Jing Tian) et de leurs composants actifs, le tyrosol et le salidroside. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, Volume 23, Number 3, September 2015, Pages 359-369
10.1016/j.jfda.2015.04.007 - Yuhui Chai, Yawen Cai, Yu Fu, Yingdi Wang, Yiming Zhang, Xue Zhang, Lingpeng Zhu, Mingxing Miao, Tianhua Yan. Salidroside Ameliorates Depression by Suppressing NLRP3-Mediated Pyroptosis via P2X7/NF-κB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway. Front. Pharmacol., 12 April 2022, Sec. Neuropharmacology, Volume 13 – 2022 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.812362
- Michael P. Torrens-Spence, Toma Pluskal, Fu-Shuang Li, Valentina Carballo and Jing-Ke Weng. Complete Pathway Elucidation and Heterologous Reconstitution of Rhodiola Salidroside Biosynthesis. Molecular Plant, Volume 11, Number 1, 8 January 2018, Pages 205-217 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674205217303775#bib13
- Xumin Zhang, Long Xie, Jiaying Long, Qingxuan Xie, Yu Zheng, Kai Liu, Xiaofang Li. Salidroside : A review of its recent advances in synthetic pathways and pharmacological properties. Chemico-Biological Interactions,Volume 339, 25 April 2021, 109268 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009279720303112
- Bai, Y., Bi, H., Zhuang, Y. et al. Production of salidroside in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. Scientific Reports, Volume 44, Number 6640, 2014.
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep06640 - Philip G Kasprzyk, Christopher Vickery , Mingli Ye , Magdalena Sewastianik , Wei Gong , Sheng Ding , Margitta Dziwenka , Amy Mozingo, Kaiti Valm, Holly Schachner, Jing-Ke Weng. Safety of a Sustainably Produced, Bioengineered, Nature-Identical Salidroside Compound. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 1;14(11):2330. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35684130/