St. John's wort (SJW), an over-the-counter antidepressant, contains hypericin, which absorbs light in the UV and visible ranges. In vivo studies have determined that hypericin is phototoxic to skin and our previous in vitro studies with lens tissues have determined that it is potentially phototoxic to the human lens. To determine if hypericin might also be phototoxic to the human retina, we exp...

Limited treatment results in advanced pediatric liver tumors have emphasised the need for alternative treatment approaches in these malignancies. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proposed as promising treatment approach in various malignancies. Hypericin, a naturally occurring substance found in the St. John's Wort, has regularly and successfully been used for visualisation and as photosensi...

Prior to the implementation of any new technology, possible environmental and health repercussions first must be researched. Fullerenes are to be produced soon on an industrial scale, with applications quickly following. To investigate the possible environmental impact of fullerenes, a C60-water suspension (nano-C60) was synthesized and then evaluated for cell-association and toxicity, using th...

Aim: To identify the hypericin content in Hypericum gaitii Haines through HPTLC & FTIR, an endangered medicinal plant and potential for curing many diseases like cancer, AIDS, tumour etc. Methods: Methanolic extract of leaves derived from in vitro raised plants were used in the mobile phase of Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (10:8:3) and scanned under UV at 254nm and 366 nm and under visibl...

BACKGROUND This systematic review evaluated St. John's wort (SJW) for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The objectives of this review are to (1) evaluate the efficacy and safety of SJW in adults with MDD compared to placebo and active comparator and (2) evaluate whether the effects vary by severity of MDD. METHODS We searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Embase, AMED, MA...

Herbal therapies have become an integral part of the American health care scene. Since 1991, public use of herbal products has increased quite markedly, with over $5 billion spent annually. This does not include the many (up to 25%) pharmaceutical products used in conventional practice that originally were, and in some cases still are, derived from plants (Table 69.1). The perennial appeal of h...

The perihydroxylated perylene quinone hypericin has been reported to possess potent anti-metastatic and antiangiogenic activities, generated by targeting diverse crossroads of cancer-promoting processes via unique mechanisms. Hypericin is the only known exogenous reagent that can induce forced poly-ubiquitination and accelerated degradation of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in cancer cells. Hsp9...

Background and objectives: Hypericum perforatum L., commonly known as St. John’s wort (SJW) from the family Hypericaceae is a famous medicinal plant used to treat mild to moderate depression; so, it might affect the pharmacokinetics of numerous drugs. Due to widespread herb-drug interactions of SJW, this study was designed to review the clinical evidences regarding the...