Linked Life Data

11879791

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/11879791

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1-2
pubmed:dateCreated
2002-3-6
pubmed:abstractText
Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's wort) is one of the leading psychotherapeutic phytomedicines and, because of this, great effort has been devoted to clarifying its mechanism of action. Chronic effects of St. John's wort and hypericin, one of its major active compounds, on regional brain amine metabolism have not been reported yet. We used a high-performance liquid chromatography system to examine the effects of short-term (2 weeks) and long-term (8 weeks) administration of imipramine, Hypericum extract or hypericin on regional levels of serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine, dopamine and their metabolites in the rat brain. We focused our interest on the hypothalamus and hippocampus, as these brain regions are thought to be involved in antidepressant drug action. Imipramine (15 mg/kg, p.o.), Hypericum extract (500 mg/kg, p.o.), and hypericin (0.2 mg/kg, p.o.) given daily for 8 weeks significantly increased 5-HT levels in the hypothalamus (P<0.05). The 5-HT turnover was significantly lowered in both brain regions after 8 weeks of daily treatment with the Hypericum extract (both P<0.05). Consistent changes in catecholamine levels were only detected in hypothalamic tissues after long-term treatment. Comparable to imipramine, Hypericum extract as well as hypericin significantly decreased 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid levels in the hypothalamus (P<0.01). Our data clearly show that long-term, but not short-term administration of St. John's wort and its active constituent hypericin modify levels of neurotransmitters in brain regions involved in the pathophysiology of depression.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0006-8993
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
930
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
21-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2002
pubmed:articleTitle
Long-term effects of St. John's wort and hypericin on monoamine levels in rat hypothalamus and hippocampus.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Domagkstrasse 12, 48149 Muenster, Germany. butterv@uni-muenster.de
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't