In Vitro Protective Effect of Hypericum androsaemum Extract Against Oxygen and Nitrogen Reactive Species

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

Isabel F Almeida (Author) FFUP; Eduarda Fernandes (Author) FFUP; Jose L F C Lima (Author) FFUP; Paulo Cardoso Costa (Author) FFUP; Maria Fernanda Bahia (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Vol. 105

Pages: 222-227

ISSN: 1742-7835

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 13 Citations

Scopus - 13 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-F5F

DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2009.00458.x

Abstract (EN): Hypericum androsaemum L. (Gutiferae) is a medicinal plant growing in Western Europe that has been used in traditional medicine in the prevention or treatment of liver diseases. Oxidative stress and nitrosative stress are common pathogenetic mechanisms contributing to initiation and progression of hepatic damage in several liver disorders. In the present study, an ethanol:water (4:6) extract from H. androsaemum branches and leaves were evaluated for its putative in vitro scavenging effects on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil radical, on reactive oxygen species, namely HO<SU center dot</SU, O(2)<SU center dot-</SU, ROO<SU center dot</SU, <SU1</SUO(2) and H(2)O(2) and on reactive nitrogen species, namely <SU center dot</SUNO and ONOO<SU-</SU. The hypericum extract presented a remarkable capacity to scavenge all the tested reactive species, all the IC(50) values being found at the mu g/ml level. IC(50) values for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil, and for the reactive oxygen species O(2)<SU center dot-</SU, H(2)O(2,) HO<SU center dot</SU and <SU1</SUO(2) were 11.3 +/- 0.7, 32.7 +/- 3.4, 944 +/- 47, 595 +/- 82, 28.3 +/- 1.2 mu g/ml respectively. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity value obtained for ROO<SU center dot</SU was 1.5 +/- 0.1 mu mol Trolox equivalents/mg extract. The IC(50) values for <SU center dot</SUNO and ONOO<SU-</SU were 2.2 +/- 0.2 and 1.2 +/- 0.1 mu g/ml respectively. The content of total phenolics was 281 +/- 2 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g of lyophilized extract. The observed antioxidant activity provides scientific support for the reported therapeutic use of H. androsaemum, though further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to ascertain the risk/benefit score at therapeutic concentrations.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6