St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herbal remedy used widely for the treatment of depression. Recent clinical studies demonstrate that hypericum extracts increase the metabolism of various drugs, including combined oral contraceptives, cyclosporin, and indinavir. In this report, we show that hyperforin, a constituent of St. John's wort with antidepressant activity, is a potent ligand ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic interstitial lung disease caused by parenchymal lung damage due to inflammatory factors and fibrosis. Hypericum perforatum contains various flavonoids with antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate protective effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Hypericum against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. METHODS: This empi...

Purpose. The present study evaluated the effect of Hypericum perforatum dry extract in an experimental model of binge eating (BE). Methods. BE for highly palatable food (HPF) was evoked in female rats by three 8-day cycles of food restriction/re-feeding and acute stress on the test day (day 25). Stress was induced by preventing access to HPF for 15 min, while rats were able to see and smell it....

BACKGROUND One of the acquired biological hallmarks of tumor multistep development is the resistance of cancer cells to apoptosis; therefore, induction of apoptosis is an important therapeutic approach. Hypericum species are spread throughout the world and have been investigated for their biological properties. OBJECTIVES Our previous studies had demonstrated cytotoxicity of Hypericum scabrum...

The Iowa Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements seeks to optimize Echinacea, Hypericum, and Prunella botanical supplements for human-health benefit, emphasizing antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti-pain activities. This mini-review reports on ongoing studies on Hypericum. The Center uses the genetically diverse, well-documented Hypericum populations collected and maintained at th...

Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John’s Wort, has been found to exhibit many medicinal, especially anti-depressant, properties. Hypericin is thought to be the main chemical constituent responsible for H. perforatum’s medicinal properties. We report here the ability of H. perforatum and hypericin to inhibit the growth of mouse mammary cancer CRL2539 cells. H. perforatum, at concentrat...

AIM To evaluate the effects of montelukast and Hypericum perforatum against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced intestinal damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-eight hamsters were divided into 4 groups following midline abdominal laparotomy: control group (n = 7), I/R group (n = 7), montelukast and I/R (MIR) group (n = 7), and Hypericum perforatum and I/R (HPIR) group (n = 7). After 60 min of ...