Effect of St. John's wort on free radical production.

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is an herbal compound used in the treatment of burns, bruises, swelling, anxiety, and most recently, mild to moderate depression. The present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant properties of St. John's wort in both cell-free and human vascular tissue. The experiment was performed initially in a cell-free system using Krebs buffer and a combination of xanthine/xanthine oxidase to initiate the production of the superoxide radical. Additionally, human placental vein was incubated in Krebs buffer without xanthine or xanthine oxidase to study the effects of St. John's wort on human tissue in vitro. Commercially available formulations of St. John's wort, standardized to either hypericin or hyperforin, were dissolved in an alkaline solution, and the following dilutions were made: 1:1, 1:2.5, 1:5, 1:7.5, 1:10, and 1:20. Lucigenin chemiluminescence was used to measure free radical production in both systems. A pro-oxidant effect was seen at the highest concentration, 1:1. Lower concentrations revealed antioxidant properties of the compound. All dilutions below 1:1 in both systems showed a dose-related inverse relationship of superoxide inhibition. The largest suppression was seen at the most dilute concentration, 1:20. The addition of 10(-3) M tiron inhibited the chemiluminescence signal, thereby confirming the production of superoxide. The results of this study suggest that St. John's wort inhibits free radical production in both cell-free and human vascular tissue.