Efficacy of an Hypericum Perforatum (St. John's Wort) Extract in Preventing and Reverting a Condition of Escape Deficit in Rats

Abstract

The treatment of unselected depressed patients with an hydro-alcoholic extract of

Inhibition of Synaptosomal Uptake of 3H-L-glutamate and 3H-GABA by Hyperforin, a Major Constituent of St. John's Wort The Role of Amiloride Sensitive Sodium Conductive Pathways

“…In agreement with its clinical efficacy, hypericum extract is also active in a large number of biochemical and behavioral models which are indicative of antidepressant activity (Butterweck et al 1997;Müller et al 1997;Bhattacharya et al 1998;Chatterjee et al 1998aChatterjee et al , 1998bGambarana et al 1999). As possible mechanism of action an inhibition 3 H-L-glutamate and 3 H-GABA Uptake 189 of the neuronal uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine has been demonstrated (Müller et al 1997;Neary and Bu 1999).…”

Effects of Long-term Acetyl-L-carnitine Administration in Rats I. Increased Dopamine Output in Mesocorticolimbic Areas and Protection toward Acute Stress Exposure

“…Both the behavioral and neurochemical changes induced by unavoidable stress exposure in the learned helplessness or CMS paradigms could be reversed by the chronic administration of classical antidepressant drugs (Muscat et al 1990(Muscat et al , 1992Petty et al 1992Petty et al , 1994Papp et al 1994Papp et al , 1996Di Chiara and Tanda 1997;Dziedzicka-Wasylewska et al 1997). Antidepressant compounds also revert the chronic escape deficit, and the drugs that we have tested in this paradigm, such as imipramine, fluoxetine, clomipramine, phenelzine, reboxetine, and a total extract of Hypericum perforatum, reinstated an avoidance response within three weeks of continuous treatment (Gambarana et al 1995a(Gambarana et al , 1999cGambarana, unpublished results). Consequently, we consider that the reversal of a behavioral deficit sustained by chronic stress is an effect that is crucial to the definition of antidepressant activity.…”

“…In order to assess whether the protective effect of ALCAR was sustained by a specific receptor system, rats treated with ALCAR for seven days were acutely administered different selective monoamine receptor antagonists before the pre-test. The doses of each antagonist used were chosen on the basis of previously published results (Gambarana et al 1995a(Gambarana et al , 1999c or of preliminary experiments (scopolamine). Preliminary behavioral data indicated that scopolamine (0.05-0.2 mg/kg) did not induce overt behavioral modifications (Masi, unpublished results), while some cognitive impairment has been described in rats after scopolamine administration at the same doses (Kirkby et al 1996).…”

The protective effect of Hypericum connatum on stress-induced escape deficit in rat is related to its flavonoid content

“…In the last decades, the genus has received widespread attention mainly in relation to the antidepressant activity of Hypericum perforatum L. (commonly known as St. John's wort), that is widely used today in the treatment of mental depression (Linde et al 1996(Linde et al , 2008Kasper et al 2010). Hypericum perforatum extracts are active in a large number of behavioural and biochemical models which are indicative of antidepressant activity (Okpanyi and Weischer 1987;Butterweck et al 1997;Chatterjee et al 1998a;De Vry et al 1999;Gambarana et al 1999). Intriguingly, H. perforatum extract has an antidepressant-like activity after acute and repeated administration (Gambarana et al 1999), at variance with the results obtained with standard antidepressant drugs that are ineffective after a single administration (Gambarana et al 2001a;Grappi et al 2003;Rauggi et al 2005).…”

“…Hypericum perforatum extracts are active in a large number of behavioural and biochemical models which are indicative of antidepressant activity (Okpanyi and Weischer 1987;Butterweck et al 1997;Chatterjee et al 1998a;De Vry et al 1999;Gambarana et al 1999). Intriguingly, H. perforatum extract has an antidepressant-like activity after acute and repeated administration (Gambarana et al 1999), at variance with the results obtained with standard antidepressant drugs that are ineffective after a single administration (Gambarana et al 2001a;Grappi et al 2003;Rauggi et al 2005). On one hand, the mechanisms of H. perforatum central actions are still debated.…”