Research - Hypericum perforatum / St. Johns Wort
St. John’s Wort: Quality Issues and Active Compounds
St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) (SJW) contains numerous compounds with documented biological activity. Constituents that have stimulated the most interest include the naphthodianthrones, hypericin and pseudohypericin; a broad range of flavonoids, including rutin, quercetin, quercitrin, miquelianin, amentoflavone, and hyperoside; and the phloroglucinols hyperforin and adhyperforin. Although there are some contradictions, most data suggest that several groups of active compounds are responsible for the antidepressant effi cacy of the plant extract. Thus, according to the current state of scientific knowledge, the total extract has to be considered as the active substance. Data on effi cacy and quality of SJW extracts have to be taken into consideration. Owing to the fast- growing SJW market in the United States, more and more SJW products (herb and extracts) are sold at varying levels of quality. Considerable differences exist in the composition of biologically active constituents among various commercially available preparations of SJW. Furthermore, the documented characterization of SJW preparations in published randomized controlled trials has been less than adequate. Future scientifi c and clinical publications about the effi cacy of SJW would benefi t from a full pharmaceutical and phytochemical description of the extract. SJW is used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. The antidepressant efficacy of SJW extracts has been confi rmed in numerous clinical studies and was assessed in meta- analyses (1, 2). The pharmacological actions of SJW have likewise been extensively reviewed (3– 6). Reports about the mechanism of antidepressant action of SJW extracts and their constituents both in vivo and in vitro have also been published. Antidepressant activity was reported for the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin (for a review, see [7]), for the naphthodianthrones hypericin and pseudohypericin (8– 10), and for several flavonoids (11– 14). The role and the mechanisms of these different compounds are still a matter of debate. However, based on recent results, it appears that the prevailing simplistic view of one plant → one active compound → one mechanism of action is incorrect. It is more likely that the multiple bioactive compounds contribute to the antidepressant activity of the crude plant extract in a complex manner. This review focuses on the present knowledge about the active constituents of SJW and their contribution to antidepressant activity.
Source : Botanical Medicine from Bench to Bedside
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Topical Hypericum perforatum Improves Tissue Regeneration in Full-Thickness Excisional Wounds in Diabetic Rat Model
Soheila Yadollah-Damavandi,1 Mehdi Chavoshi-Nejad,2 Ehsan Jangholi,1 Noushin Nekouyian,3 Sahar Hosseini,3 Amin Seifaee,3 Shima Rafiee,3 Hossein Karimi,3 Soheil Ashkani-Esfahani,3 Yekta Parsa,1 and Maryam Mohsenikia4
1Young Researchers and Elite Club, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Tehran, Iran
2Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
Abstract
Delayed wound healing process is one of the most important concerns in diabetes. Healing of wounds has four phases, namely, hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. For a successful repair, all four factors must occur properly. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the healing effects of Hypericum perforatum (HP) on full-thickness diabetic skin wounds by using stereological methods. Forty-eight female diabetic rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 12): gel base treated group, HP 5% gel treated group, HP 10% gel treated group, and the control group which received no treatment. A circular 1 cm2 full-thickness wound was created on the animal’s neck and wound area was measured every three days. After sacrificing the animals, skin samples were fixed and prepared for stereological evaluations. Based on the results, HP treated group showed faster wound closure rate in comparison with control and vehicle groups (P<0.05). In addition, numerical density of fibroblasts, volume density of collagen bundles, and mean diameter and volume densities of the vessels in HP group were significantly higher than control and vehicle groups. The results of this study showed that HP has the ability to improve tissue regeneration by enhancing fibroblast proliferation, collagen bundle synthesis, and revascularization.
Source : Evidence Based Complementaryand Alternative Medicine
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Effect of Hypericum perforatum L. Extract on Insulin Resistance and Lipid Metabolic Disorder in High-Fat-Diet Induced Obese Mice
Jin-ying Tian, Rong-ya Tao, Xiao-lin Zhang, Qian Liu, Yi-bo He, Ya-lun Su, Teng-fei Ji, Fei Ye
Abstract
Natural product Hypericum perforatum L. has been used in folk medicine to improve mental performance. However, the effect of H. perforatum L. on metabolism is still unknown. In order to test whether H. perforatum L. extract (EHP) has an effect on metabolic syndrome, we treated diet induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J mice with the extract. The chemical characters of EHP were investigated with thin-layer chromatography, ultraviolet, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and HPLC-mass spectrometry fingerprint analysis. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), and the glucose infusion rate (GIR) in hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp test were performed to evaluate the glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Skeletal muscle was examined for lipid metabolism. The results suggest that EHP can significantly improve the glucose and lipid metabolism in DIO mice. In vitro, EHP inhibited the catalytic activity of recombinant human protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and reduced the protein and mRNA levels of PTP1B in the skeletal muscle. Moreover, expressions of genes related to fatty acid uptake and oxidation were changed by EHP in the skeletal muscle. These results suggest that EHP may improve insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in DIO mice
Source : Journal Phtotherapy Research
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Herbal triplet in treatment of nervous agitation in children
Inga Trompetter, Bianka Krick, and Gabriele Weiss
Summary
Emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents are no exception. To what extent a fixed plant extract combination is able to support children suffering from nervous agitation due to agitated depression among others for approximately 2 years has been investigated in a multicenter, prospective observational study (2008) with 115 children between 6 and 12 years. Assessments of the parents showed a distinct improvement in children who had attention problems, showed social withdrawal, and/or were anxious/depressive. Based on the physicians’ assessment, 81.6–93.9 % of the affected children had no or just mild symptoms at the end of observation concerning nine of thirteen evaluated symptoms such as depression, school/examination anxieties, further anxieties, sleeping problems, and different physical problems. Therapeutic success was not influenced by additional medication or therapies. The treatment was well tolerated. The used plant extracts have been gained from St. John’s Wort herb, valerian root, and passionflower herb.
Source : Wien Med Wochenschr.
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Antidepressant-like effects of two commercially available products of Hypericum perforatum in the forced swim test: A long-term study
Abstract
Some herbal products of Hypericum perforatum (Hypericaceae) are recommended for the treatment of depression. Nevertheless, some of these products do not produce antidepressant-like effects when they are evaluated in experimental models of depression, whereas others remain to be evaluated. Consequently, the antidepressant-like effects of two commercially available products of H. perforatum were evaluated and compared with the clinically effective antidepressant fluoxetine. Male Wistar rats received different doses of two products of H. perforatum or fluoxetine, and their effects were evaluated at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of treatment in the open field and forced swim tests. H. perforatum products
significantly increased the latency to first immobility and reduced total immobility time in the forced swim test, results similar to fluoxetine, without increasing general locomotor activity in the open field test. H.perforatum products required 21 days of treatment to exert their antidepressant-like effect, whereas fluoxetine required only 14 days.
In conclusion, H. perforatum products evaluated in the present study produced an antidepressant-like effect, even at lower doses than those reported previously to be effective in the forced swim test. However, H. perforatum required more days of treatment to exert its
antidepressant-like effect compared with the antidepressant fluoxetine.
Source : Journal of Medicinal Plants
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