What Method Can Obtain High Content of Hypericin?

What is Hypericin?

Hypericin Powder is a natural compound present in the yellow flower of St. John's wort and has antidepressant, potential antiviral, antitumor and immunostimulatory activities. Hypericin seems to prevent neuronal uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and L-glutamate, which may contribute to its antidepressant effects. Hypericin compound also prevents replication of encapsulated viruses, possibly due to inhibition of viral particle assembly and shedding in infected cells. The agent also exerts a powerful photosensitivity effect by triggering apoptotic signals leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species.

What are the Natural Sources of Hypericin?

As a natural bioactive compound, hypericin can be obtained from insects, plants, and protozoa. It is found in the integument of the Australian Lac insects of the Coccoidea family and the blue-green ciliate, a form of protozoa. However, the genus Hypericum has been found throughout temperate and tropical regions around the world and is a major natural source of hypericin. The genus contains 484 species and be divided into 36 subgroups. There are 30 species of Hypericum in Italy and 89 in Turkey. In China, 55 different varieties of hypericum are widely distributed throughout the country, but the main producing areas of hypericum are concentrated in the southwest. The crucial and famous species is Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John's Wort. Hypericum perforatum is a perennial herb that is widely distributed around the world and has been included in many pharmacopeia.

How to Get High-grade Hypericin?

After years of intensive research on the herbal extract industry, we have found an extraction method with simple operation, low cost, low extraction solvent toxicity, short extraction period and high hypericin content. The specific extraction steps include:

1. Dry and smash St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum);

2. The St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) powder and the organic solvent are mixed in a volume ratio of 1-2:3, extracted at 40-70°C for 2-4 hours; the extract is collected, filtered, and the filtrate is collected; the organic solvent can be 80-100% ( V/V) ethanol;

3. Concentrate the filtrate under reduced pressure to recycle the concentrated solution;

4. The concentrated solution is adsorbed with resin, eluted, and the eluate is collected;

5. The eluate is concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain hypericin extract.

What are the Most Cutting-edge Applications of Hypericin?

Hypericin compound has shown promise as anticancer and anti-HIV drugs.

★ Anticancer Drug

Hypericin is a potential compound for photodynamic therapy, an advanced cancer treatment that is gaining popularity in the medical field. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) describes photodynamic therapy as "treatment using drugs called photosensitizers and a specific type of light. When the photosensitizers are exposed to specific wavelengths of light, they produce a form of oxygen , kills nearby cells". Hypericin, as a photosensitizer, has been shown to induce apoptosis and necrosis in cancer cells utilizing photodynamic therapy.

★ Anti-HIV Drug

In laboratory studies, hypericin has proved antiretroviral activity through a method of action that does not depend on reverse transcriptase inhibition, inactivation, or modification. In particular, the results of one study "show that, unlike nucleoside analogs, [hypericin and pseudohypericin] directly inactivate virions or interfere with assembly or shedding of assembled virions".

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