Determination of the contents of bioactive compounds in St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum): Comparison of commercial and wild samples

Abstract

St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a medicinal plant with a rich history of traditional use. It has been shown to possess a range of beneficial health properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, the content of flavonoids and the antioxidant activity of commercially available dried and wild-grown samples were analyzed using the LC–MS/MS method. In addition, these samples were evaluated for their functional constituents, such as phenolic acids (ferulic, caffeic, chlorogenic, and gallic acids), quercetin, rutin, pseudohypericin, and hypericin using the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. The most important antioxidant constituents in the samples analyzed were polyphenols with chlorogenic acid as the predominant compound. The content of the most important biocomponents with antidepressant activity was also analyzed. The results suggest that wild plants exposed to more stress factors have higher amount of compounds with antidepressant effects than plants grown in controlled conditions.

Keywords

• hypericum perforatum
• hypericin
• pseudohypericin
• antioxidant properties
• antidepression properties