Clinical studies have demonstrated the antidepressant efficacy of Hypericum (St. John’s wort) extracts comparable to tricyclic antidepressants such as imipramine.
We examined the effects of Hypericum extract and hypericin, one active constituent, in the forced swimming test (FST)
after treatment repeated for 14 days. It has recently been shown that hypericin was
inactive in the FST after acute treatment, but remarkably active when solubilized
by subfraction IIIc1 containing mainly procyanidin B2. Therefore, we investigated the cooperative effects
of hypericin and procyanidin B2 after repeated treatment. Imipramine (15 mg/kg), Hypericum extract (500 mg/kg) and hypericin (0.1 mg/kg) given daily for 2 weeks significantly
reduced immobility time in the FST. No differences were observed between animals receiving
pure hypericin and those receiving hypericin in combination with procyanidin B2. As
several antidepressants act on the neuroendocrine axis resulting in altered hormone
concentrations, selected endocrine parameters were investigated after repeated treatment.
Daily treatment with either imipramine, Hypericum extract or hypericin alone or in combination with procyanidin B2 for 14 days significantly
decreased plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels. None of the substances had pronounced
effects on plasma prolactin or LH levels. From our present data, we propose that cooperative
effects of hypericin and procyanidin B2 are of important relevance for the acute,
but not for the chronic effects of this polycylic quinone.
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Dr. Veronika Butterweck
Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie
Domagkstraße 12
48149 Münster
Germany
eMail: butterv@uni-muenster.de
