Investigation of the effects of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) oil on the methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal mucosa injury and hepatotoxicity in mice

Abstract

St. John's wort oil is one of the herbal product which used for therapeutic purposes. To investigate the effects of St. John's Wort oil on irritated gastrointestinal mucosa and liver. The study is based on experimental animal trials. 21 healthy swiss albino mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, group-2, group-3. The methotrexate (20 mg/kg) was given intraperitoneally as a single dose on the 1st day to the group-2 and group-3. St. John's Wort oil (4 ml/kg) was administered by gavages into the stomach daily for 7 days to the group-3. Following the necropsy, the gastrointestinal mucosa samples and the liver tissue samples were collected for histopathological evaluation. No pathology was found in the gastrointestinal mucosa and liver of control group. No pathology was found in the mice of group-3 in histopathological examination of the gastric mucosa. Significant hyperplasia and mononuclear cell infiltrations in lamina propria were observed in the mice of the group-2’s intestinal mucosa. The group-3 mice's intestinal mucosa was similar to control group's intestinal mucosa. In liver histopathology, mononuclear cell infiltrations and locally degenerative changes in the periportal area, vascular congestion and sinusoidal enlargement, thrombotic changes in the vessels, bile duct hyperplasia, megalocytosis in hepatocytes in some areas were observed in the livers of group-2 mice. Only a mild sinusoidal enlargement was noted in group-3's liver. According to the data we obtained in our study, St. John's Wort oil has protective and restorative effects especially on liver and intestinal mucosa if it is used consciously.