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
-
Clinical and Pre-clinical Applications of the Transcendental Meditation Program® in the Prevention and Treatment of Essential Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease in Youth and Adults
Current Hypertension Reviews Risk Factors for Development of Heart Failure
Current Cardiology Reviews T-Cell Zeta Chain Expression, Phosphorylation and Degradation and their Role in T-Cell Signal Transduction and Immune Response Regulation in Health And Disease
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Potential Therapeutic Role of Carnitine and Acetylcarnitine in Neurological Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Depression in Older Persons with Mobility Limitations
Current Pharmaceutical Design Recent Progress in the Development of Subtype Selective Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Ligands
Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders Prolactin Protects Against the Methamphetamine-Induced Cerebral Vascular Toxicity
Current Neurovascular Research Selectivity Problems with Drugs Acting on Cardiac Na<sup>+</sup> and Ca<sup>2+</sup> Channels
Current Medicinal Chemistry Pharmacological Perspectives of Ayurvedic Herbs <i>viz. Alstonia scholaris</i> L., <i>Picrorhiza kurroa, Swertia chirata</i> and <i>Caesalpinia crista</i> Against COVID- 19: A Mini-Review
Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry The Wnt Pathway in Mood Disorders
Current Neuropharmacology ADF/Cofilin-Actin Rods in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Current Alzheimer Research Problematic Use of the Mobile Phone: A Literature Review and a Pathways Model
Current Psychiatry Reviews Inflammation and Immunology of the Vitreoretinal Compartment
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) α-Lactalbumin: Of Camels and Cows
Protein & Peptide Letters Disease Modifying Approaches for Alzheimers Pathology
Current Pharmaceutical Design Understanding Effects of Psychological Stress on Physiology and Disease Through Human Stressome - An Integral Algorithm
Current Bioinformatics Capillary Electrophoresis–Mass Spectrometry in Metabolomics: The Potential for Driving Drug Discovery and Development
Current Drug Metabolism Neurophysiology of Sleep and Wakefulness: Basic Science and Clinical Implications
Current Neuropharmacology Therapeutic Intervention at Cellular Quality Control Systems in Alzheimers and Parkinsons Diseases
Current Pharmaceutical Design Mobilization and Redistribution of Default Mode Network from Resting State to Task State in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment
Current Alzheimer Research