Hypericin: A natural anthraquinone as promising therapeutic agent.

Jing-Jing Wu, Jia Zhang, Cong-Yuan Xia, Kang Ding, Xin-Xin Li, Xue-Ge Pan, Jie-Kun Xu, Jun He, Wei-Ku Zhang

Journal: Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology 2023;111():154654

PMID: 36689857

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Hypericin is a prominent secondary metabolite mainly existing in genus Hypericum. It has become a research focus for a quiet long time owing to its extensively pharmacological activities especially the anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and neuroprotective effects. This review concentrated on summarizing and analyzing the existing studies of hypericin in a comprehensive perspective.

METHODS

The literature with desired information about hypericin published after 2010 was gained from electronic databases including PubMed, SciFinder, Science Direct, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases and Wan Fang DATA.

RESULTS

According to extensive preclinical and clinical studies conducted on the hypericin, an organized and comprehensive summary of the natural and artificial sources, strategies for improving the bioactivities, pharmacological activities, drug combination of hypericin was presented to explore the future therapeutic potential of this active compound.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this review offered a theoretical guidance for the follow-up research of hypericin. However, the pharmacological mechanisms, pharmacokinetics and structure activity relationship of hypericin should be further studied in future research.

Address: China-Japan Friendship Hospital (Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences & Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China.; School of Life Sciences & School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China.; Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences & Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China.; School of Life Sciences & School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: [email protected].; Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences & Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: [email protected].; China-Japan Friendship Hospital (Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100029, China; Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences & Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154654

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Anthraquinones, Anthracenes, Neoplasms, Photochemotherapy