Sun-macerated Hypericum perforatum oleates in fixed oils: analytical characterization and comparative wound-healing...

Hypericum perforatum L. oleates prepared in fixed oils have long been used for wound management due to their antiinflammatory, antibacterial, and tissue-regenerative properties. The bioactivity of these oleates is mainly attributed to hypericin, hyperforin, and pseudohypericin. In the present study, the wound-healing potential of H. perforatum oleates prepared in different fixed oils, including Olea europaea L. (olive), Sesamum indicum L. (sesame), Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower), and Nigella sativa L. (black seed), is compared.

Fixed oils were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, while oleuropein (olive oil) and thymoquinone (black seed oil) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and sesamin and sesamol (sesame oil) by spectrophotometry. Oleates were prepared using the traditional sun maceration method. Hypericin, hyperforin, and pseudohypericin were quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to assess the wound-healing activities of both the fixed oils and their respective oleates.

All oleates exhibited significantly greater wound-healing activity than the corresponding fixed oils. The most pronounced synergistic effects were observed with the olive oil and sesame oil oleates.

Maceration of H. perforatum in fixed oils enhances the intrinsic therapeutic properties of oils and contributes to improvements in multiple wound-healing parameters. The findings of the present study support the traditional use of H. perforatum oleates and provide a scientific basis for their pharmacological development.