Abstract
Although St. Johns wort has been known for thousands of years and has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, understanding of its activity and mechanisms of action is relatively new and not well understood. While researchers originally thought the naphthodianthrone hypericin was responsible for Hypericums antidepressant activity, it is now believed some other compound or a combination of constituents exerts their antidepressant activity on the body. Hypericum is unique in that it seems to impact all known neurotransmitters at some level, directly, or indirectly through receptor sensitivity and regulation. There has been a proliferation of clinical studies on Hypericum in the last ten years, and even though some of these studies might be methodologically flawed, the preponderance of the evidence proves Hypericum to be beneficial for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression, with a very favorable side effect profile. One clinical trial carried out using two extracts with different hyperforin content indicate this constituent as (one of) the main active principle responsible for the antidepressant activity.
Keywords: Hypericum perforatum, Neuroactive Lead, naphthodianthrone, neurotransmitters
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Hypericum perforatum, a Source of Neuroactive Lead Structures
Volume: 3 Issue: 2
Author(s): Luisella Verotta
Affiliation:
Keywords: Hypericum perforatum, Neuroactive Lead, naphthodianthrone, neurotransmitters
Abstract: Although St. Johns wort has been known for thousands of years and has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, understanding of its activity and mechanisms of action is relatively new and not well understood. While researchers originally thought the naphthodianthrone hypericin was responsible for Hypericums antidepressant activity, it is now believed some other compound or a combination of constituents exerts their antidepressant activity on the body. Hypericum is unique in that it seems to impact all known neurotransmitters at some level, directly, or indirectly through receptor sensitivity and regulation. There has been a proliferation of clinical studies on Hypericum in the last ten years, and even though some of these studies might be methodologically flawed, the preponderance of the evidence proves Hypericum to be beneficial for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression, with a very favorable side effect profile. One clinical trial carried out using two extracts with different hyperforin content indicate this constituent as (one of) the main active principle responsible for the antidepressant activity.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Verotta Luisella, Hypericum perforatum, a Source of Neuroactive Lead Structures, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2003; 3 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568026033392589
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568026033392589 |
Print ISSN 1568-0266 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4294 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Chemistry Based on Natural Products for Therapeutic Purposes
The development of new pharmaceuticals for a wide range of medical conditions has long relied on the identification of promising natural products (NPs). There are over sixty percent of cancer, infectious illness, and CNS disease medications that include an NP pharmacophore, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Since NP ...read more
Current Trends in Drug Discovery Based on Artificial Intelligence and Computer-Aided Drug Design
Drug development discovery has faced several challenges over the years. In fact, the evolution of classical approaches to modern methods using computational methods, or Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD), has shown promising and essential results in any drug discovery campaign. Among these methods, molecular docking is one of the most notable ...read more
Drug Discovery in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), we have witnessed a significant boom in AI techniques for drug discovery. AI techniques are increasingly integrated and accelerating the drug discovery process. These developments have not only attracted the attention of academia and industry but also raised important questions regarding the selection ...read more
From Biodiversity to Chemical Diversity: Focus of Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the largest group of polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites arising from the essential aromatic amino acid phenylalanine (or more rarely from tyrosine) via the phenylpropanoid pathway. The flavan nucleus is the basic 15-carbon skeleton of flavonoids (C6-C3-C6), which consists of two phenyl rings (A and B) and a heterocyclic ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Role of Prolyl Endopeptidase in Intracellular Transport and Protein Secretion
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptors in the Central Nervous and Immune Systems
Current Drug Targets The Science of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetes
Current Diabetes Reviews Therapeutical Approaches of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide as a Pleiotropic Immunomodulator
Current Pharmaceutical Design HSV Amplicons: Neuro Applications
Current Gene Therapy Improving Human Performance and Comfort Through Perception: Technological Applications for Space
Recent Progress in Space Technology (Discontinued) Graphical Abstracts:
Current Angiogenesis (Discontinued) An Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Stevia by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration
Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Carbon Nano Tubes: Novel Drug Delivery System in Amelioration of Alzheimer’s Disease
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Glutamate Hypothesis of Schizophrenia and Approach for Possible Therapeutic Drugs
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Central Nervous System Agents Neuropeptides as Therapeutic Targets in Anxiety Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Advances in the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders Employing Nanoparticles
Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation Blood-Brain Barrier P-Glycoprotein Function in Neurodegenerative Disease
Current Pharmaceutical Design Headspace Gas Chromatography Methods and their Potential Industrial Applications
Current Chromatography Neurotrophic Actions of Mood-Stabilizers: A Recent Research Discovery and its Potential Clinical Applications
Current Psychiatry Reviews Advances in Encoding of Colloids for Combinatorial Libraries: Applications in Genomics, Proteomics and Drug Discovery
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Plasticity of T Cell Differentiation and Cytokine Signature: A Double-Edged Sword for Immune Responses
Immunology, Endocrine & Metabolic Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Discontinued) Aspartic Proteinases in Disease: A Structural Perspective
Current Drug Targets FDA-approved Drugs Selected Using Virtual Screening Bind Specifically to G-quadruplex DNA
Current Pharmaceutical Design IFN-γ and TNF-α Gene Polymorphisms in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Northwest Iran
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets