Activity of Hypericum perforatum

Chatterjee SS, Noldner M, Koch E, Erdelmeier C. (1998b). Antidepressant activity of hypericum perforatum and hyperforin the neglected possibility. Pharmacopsychiatry. 31(suppl 1) 7-15. 

Noeldner M, Schotz K. Rutin is essential for the antidepressant activity of Hypericum perforatum extracts in the forced swimming test. Planta Med 2002 68 577-580. 

Roscetti G, Franzese O, Comandini A, Bonmassar E. Cytotoxic activity of Hypericum perforatum L. on K562 erythroleukemic cells differential effects between methanolic extract and hypericin. Phytother Res 2004 18 66-72. 

Hammer KD, Birt DF. Evidence for contributions of interactions of constituents to the anti-inflammatory activity of hypericum perforatum. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 54(6) (2014) 781-789. 

Butterweck V, Wall A, Lieflander-Wulf U, Winterhoff H, Nahrstedt A. (1997). Effects of the total extract and fractions of Hypericum perforatum in animal assays for antidepressant activity. Pharmacopsychiatry. 30(suppl. 2) 117-24. 

Nahrstedt A, Butterweck V. (1997). Biologically active and other chemical constituents of the herb of Hypericum perforatum L. Pharmacopsychiatry. 30(suppl 2) 129-34. 

Jensen AG, Hansen SH, Nielsen EO. Adhyperforin as a contributor to the effect of Hypericum perforatum L. in biochemical models of antidepressant activity. Life Sci 2001 68 1593-1605. 

Tricyclic antidepressants are the mainstay of treatment of painful polyneuropathy, but cannot be used in a substantial number of patients. St. John s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a herbal antidepressant which may act via mechanisms similar to tricyclics. Clinical trials have extensively reported the ability of Hypericum perforatum extracts to exert a significant antidepressant activity [224-226], Hypericins, Fig. (13) are considered to be one of the compounds contributing to the activity of the extract [227], These... 

Several investigations have studied the in vivo antidepressant activity of this herb and of compounds isolated from it. For example, a commercially available extract of the aerial parts of Hypericum perforatum LI 160 and hypericin, Fig. (13) showed pronounced activity in selected animal bioassays. These include the forced swimming test and the tail suspension test, used to determine antidepressant activity, and tests indicating activity on the central nervous system, such as body temperature and ketamine-induced sleeping time [231,232],... 

For a hydroalcoholic extract of Hypericum perforatum, produced by successive extraction of dried aerial parts with petroleum ether, 1,2-dichlorethane and ethanol (50 % v/v), a sedative effect in mice has been reported [123]. The authors observed a bell-shaped dose-response effect on spontaneous motility with maximal activity at an oral dose of 26.5 mg/kg p.o, while pentobarbital-induced sleeping time was most significantly prolonged at the lowest dose applied (13.25 mg/kg p.o.). No effect on neuromuscular transmission was observed in three different test models (chimney test, traction test and rota-rod test). After separation of the crude extract in fractions containing mainly flavones, naphthodianthrones or amino acids, it was not possible to clearly attribute the effect of the native extract to a particular group of constituents. Thus, the authors conclude that activity of the hydroalcoholic extract may results form the cumulative effects of different compound, but they do not offer any explanation for the lower activity of the extract at higher doses. 

Nature St. John s wort is made from dried flowers of Hypericum perforatum, the active constituents of which include hypericin and h3q3erforin. 

Hyperforin, the major constituent in Hypericum perforatum (St. John s Wort), inhibits the enzymatic activity of 5-lipoxygenase and COX-1 in platelets, acts as a dual inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase and COX-1, and might have some potential in inflammatory and allergic diseases connected to eicosanoids (32), Several Hypericum species are of medicinal value in Asia and the Pacific. One of these is Hypericum erectum Thunb., the potential of which as a source of 5-lipoxygenase is given here. 

The active components of the herbaceaous perennial plant Hypericum perforatum are antiinflammatory, antidepressive and healing agents, therefore, their analysis is of considerable importance for health care. Samples were prepared by extracting the dried flowering tops by hot methanol. RP-HPLC separations were performed in an ODS column (250 X 4.6 mm i.d. particle size 5 pm) thermostated at 30°C. The steps of gradient elution are listed in Table 2.49. 

Flavonoids in the diet have been widely promoted as important antioxidant contributors. Their neuroprotective properties, because of this effect, have been demonstrated by several workers. However, they have also been demonstrated to have MAOI activity and this has been proposed as part of the explanation of the use of the common herb, St Johns Wort, Hypericum perforatum L., as an antidepressant. This dual role has now been proposed for a variety of flavonoids, such as kaempferol (22) from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba L., a widely used herbal product which has been suggested as a preventative agent against neurodegeneration. Quercetin (23), similarly, has also shown to inhibit MAO-B " and reverse the effects of induced catalepsy, which mimics the bradykinesia associated with PD. Tangeretin (24) also inhibits MAO-B and crosses the blood brain barrier in a rat model. 

St John s Wort (Hypericum perforatum, S JW) has been on the herbal pharmacopeia for many years. It is a traditional remedy for depression which has been validated in recent randomized clinical trials. Like many herbal preparations levels of active constituents vary from one preparation to another. As a consequence of its validation as an active preparation it has been widely promoted. Recently it has been shown to interact with a variety of other substances probably through the process of drug interaction. 

Markowitz, J.S., DeVane, C.L., Boulton, D.W, Carson, S.W, Nahas, Z., and Risch, S.C. (2000) Effect of St. John s wort (Hypericum perforatum) on cytochrome P-450 2D6 and 3A4 activity in healthy volunteers. Life Sci 66 PL133-PL139. 

Wang Z, Gorski JC, Hamman MA, Huang SM, Lesko LJ, Hall SD. The effects of St. John s wort (Hypericum perforatum) on human cytochrome P450 activity. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2001 70 317-326. 

Agrosi M, Mischiatti S, Harrasser PC, Savio D. Oral bioavailability of active principles from herbal products in humans. A study on Hypericum perforatum extract using the soft gelatin capsule technology. Phytomedicine 2000 7 455-462. 

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