Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of hypericum sampsonii

Abstract

Hypericum sampsonii or Sampson’s St John’s Wort is a species of flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family. Our previous study revealed the diverse and bioactive chemical constituents of the plant. This study investigates the antioxidant activity and potential hepatoprotective of Hypericum sampsonii extract (BLD1 extract) in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro experiment was carried out with DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay to assess the antioxidant properties of BLD1 extract. In the in vivo experiment, the hepatoprotective activity of BLD1 extract was evaluated on an acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity mouse model. The in vitro assay demonstrated that the extract exhibited antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner. In the in vivo experiments, BLD1 extract at both doses (3.6 g/kg b.w day and 10.8 g/kg b.w day) reflected the decrease in serum ALT, AST and MDA level. Hepatic histology was also investigated post-mortem to assess the degree of liver injury. The overall findings of this study demonstrate the potential hepatoprotective effect of Hypericum sampsonii in acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress and liver toxicity in mice. This study has established the efficacy of Hypericum sampsonii, which should warrant further clinical trials and applications.