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Related Experiment Videos

Commercially available Hypericum perforatum extracts do not decrease immobility of rats in the forced swimming test.

Luiz G Guilhermano1, Luciana Ortiz, Maristela Ferigolo

  • 1Division of Pharmacology, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Sarmento Leite, 235, Porto Alegre, RS, 900050-170, Brazil.

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|December 23, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Two commercial Hypericum perforatum extracts showed no antidepressant effects in rats. One extract even induced a depressant-like effect, differing from other Hypericum extracts and suggesting a loss of therapeutic potential during production.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Phytotherapy
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Clinical trials on Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) for depression yield controversial results.
  • Preclinical studies suggest antidepressant properties of Hypericum extracts, but clinical efficacy remains debated.
  • Standardized extracts are crucial for consistent therapeutic outcomes in phytotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the antidepressant effects of two commercial hydroalcoholic Hypericum perforatum extracts in rats.
  • To compare the efficacy of these extracts with imipramine (IMI), a standard antidepressant, using the forced swimming test (FST).
  • To investigate potential differences in antidepressant activity between imported and locally produced Hypericum extracts.

Main Methods:

  • Wistar rats were treated with varying doses of two commercial Hypericum perforatum extracts (standardized to 0.3% hypericin), hypericin alone, or imipramine (IMI).

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  • Animals were subjected to the forced swimming test (FST) to assess antidepressant-like behavior.
  • Behavioral parameters, including immobility and climbing time, were recorded and analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Imipramine (IMI) significantly reduced immobility and increased climbing behavior, confirming its antidepressant effect.
    • Neither the imported Hypericum extract nor isolated hypericin demonstrated significant antidepressant or depressant effects in the FST.
    • The locally produced Hypericum extract significantly increased immobility duration and decreased climbing behavior, indicating a depressant-like effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The tested commercial Brazilian Hypericum perforatum extracts did not exhibit the expected antidepressant effects in the forced swimming test.
    • One extract displayed a depressant-like effect, contrasting with findings from other Hypericum extracts.
    • The study suggests that these specific commercial extracts may have lost their therapeutic potential during production or commercialization, warranting further investigation into the manufacturing process.