Testing of Antitumor Effects of Hypericum Perforatum L. and Hypericum Maculatum C. in Ehrlich Ascite in Swiss Mice

Abstract

Hypericum perforatum L or St. John's wort is a medicinal plant with long history use in traditional. Because Romanian and European Pharmacopoeia accept as officinal only H. perforatum L, the present study compare the characteristics of the H. perforatum and H. maculatum. The experiment was carried out on 28 white Swiss male mice, for 14 days long; each animal received 106 Ehrlich Ascitic Carcinoma cells i.p., in the day 0. Animals were divided in four equal experimental groups, First group (HM) received 172 mg/kg b.w. H. maculatum, the second group (HP) 172 mg/kg b.w. H. perforatum, the control group, and the last group Doxorubicin cloride 2.5 mg/ kg b.w in day 6 of experiment. Both groups HM and HP received intra peritoneal injections in days 1, 4, and 7 of experiment. White blood cells and the platelets were increase in Hypericum treated groups; leucocytosis was more evident in H. perforatum, mainly because of the granulocytes. Doxorubicin prevents the elevation of granulocytes levels, no similar effect was found in Hypericum treated animals. Even no so effective like Doxorubicin, alcoholic extracts provides a protective effect, but statistical significance was found only for H. maculatum. In conclusion, both Hypericum sp. (H. maculatum and H. perforatum), have shown anticancer effect, through inhibition of tumor cells development and elevating the white blood cells level. This might be the basis of new pharmaceutical remedies using H.maculatum a wide spread species in mountain regions of Romania.