INTRODUCTION:

There exist a plethora of knowledge and information and benefits of herbal drugs in our ancient of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. One of the earliest treatises of India medicine, the Charaka Samhita mentions the use of over 2000 herbs for medicinal purpose¹. India has a rich heritage of knowledge on plant based both for exploit in preventive and curative medicine. The use of the traditional plants combating microbial diseases is becoming the focus of numerous studies².

The genus Hypericum consists of about 400 species with widespread medicinal applications in a variety of health disorders. Hypericum oblongifoliu Choisy is an erect evergreen shrub usually 6—12m high, belonging to the family Hyperiaceae which comprises 8 genera and 210 species.1) Antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral and anticancer compounds have so far been isolated from the genus. H. oblongifolium is common on Khasia Hill at an altitude of 5000—6000 m in China and in the Himalaya Hills. It has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of hepatitis, bacterial diseases, nasal hemorrhage and as a remedy for dog bites and the sting of bees³.

A large proportions of world’s population depend on traditional medicine because of scarcity, high cost of orthodox medicine and unpleasant side effects⁴. Ayurveda has emphasized of food in the management of diseases. Even practitioner of modern system has realized the significance of dietary items, in the form of Neutraceuticals elements, in the treatment of chronic diseases⁵.

Hypericum oblongifolium (family: Guttiferae) is a well known in India and is one of the most versatile medicinal plants having a wide spectrum of biological activity. Hypericum oblongifolium which comprises of 50 genera and 1200 species⁶. Herbs is a good appetizer, remove Kapha, Vata and piles; astringents cures dysentery and diarrhoeas, skin diseases and quarten fevers. The leave are anti- inflammatory, refrigerant, hepatitis, gastric ulcers, antispasmodic and antiseptic⁷. The present review is emphasizing with medicinal importance of the Hypericum oblongifolium with referene to its Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological activities.

Taxonomic Classification:

Kingdom Plantae

Division Tracheophytes

Class Rosids

Order Malpighiales

Family Guttiferae

Sub-Family Hypericaceae

Genus Hypericum

Species Hypericum oblongifolium

Vernacular Name:

English- St. Johnswort,

Hindi- Chava, chaya, chitroi, Basant,

Kahmiri- Pingniara

Distribution:

A number of Hypericum species were used by Amerindian tribes. Hypericum oblongifolium (figure 1) is a member of the genus Hypericum, of which there are 400 species worldwide^8,9. It is a 6-12 m high erect evergreen shrub that grows at an altitude of 5000-6000 ft. and is common present from northern Pakistan, east to central Nepal through the Western Himalaya¹⁰. It is a widely distributed in roadside, disturbed sites, dirt roads, the sides of roads and highways, and sparse woods¹¹.

Morphology:

Hypericum oblongifolium is herbs, shrubs or small trees or the plant is a glabrous perennial, erect and usually woody at the base. Plants from this genus are annual or perennial shrubs or small trees that possess pale to dark yellow flowers. The top portion of the plants are glabrous or pubescent with simple hairs^12,13.

Figure. 1: Natural habitat Hypericum oblongifolium Choisy

(a) Leaves:

The leaves are ovate to linear, sessile, opposite, and contain translucent glandular dots.

(b) Flowers:

The flower has five short, sub equal, entire, imbricate, basally connate sepals, and five persistently withering yellow petals. The ovary is superior, capsicular, and three-styled whereas the stamens are many, arranged in bundles of threes. The flowers are profuse, arranged in branched cymes which bloom from June until September¹⁴.

(c) Seeds:

The seeds are a dark reddish-brown and are 1-1.2 millimeters long.

Phytochemistry:

Different type of phytochemical components have been isolated in previous studies from this medicinal herb such as Phytochemical analysis showed that Hypericum oblongifolium contained flavonoids, saponins and tannins¹⁵. The plant contains a wide spectrum of substances, among which anthroglycosides, flavonoids, and phloroglucin derivatives have roles in the principle pharmacological effects¹⁶. Recently, various chemical compounds have been isolated from this plant and include triterpenes like hyperinols A and B¹⁷, flavonoids like quercetin, myricetin, rhamnetin, kaempferol, luteolin¹⁸, 18-β-H-urs-20 (30)-en-3β-ol-28-oic acid, tetracosyl 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) acrylate, shikimic acid, 1- octatriacontanol, hexacosyl tetracosanoate, β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside¹⁹, xanthones like hypericorin-C, hypericorin-D, 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyxanthone, along with 2,3-dimethoxyxanthone, 3,4-dihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone, 3,5-dihydroxy-1-methoxyx anthone, 3-acetylbetulinic acid, 10-H-1,3-dioxolo [4,5-b]- xanthen-10-one, 3-hydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone, 3,4,5-trihydroxyxanthone and betulinic acid²⁰. More recently our research group reported a new antioxidant that is folicitin from Hypericum oblongifolium²¹.

Pharmacological activities of Hypericum oblongifolium:

Hypericum oblongifolium showed various pharmacological activities are as follows:

Anti-oxidant activity:

Phytochemical investigations on Hypericum oblongifolium led to the isolation of a flavone named folicitin (1) and a bicyclic conjugated lactone, folenolide (2) from the ethyl acetate fraction of methanolic extract. Both metabolites were characterised as new compounds based on detailed spectroscopic analyses. In vitro anti-oxidant potential of both the compounds was evaluated by the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Compound 1 exhibited significant antioxidant activity while compound (2) was found inactive²².

Anti-inflammatory and Anti pyretic activities:

The present therapeutic agents for the treatment of pain, inflammation and pyrexia are not very effective and accompanied by various side effects. In vivo acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate tests were used for antinociceptive effects at 100, 200 and 300mg/kg i.p. The anti-inflammatory and antipyretic potential of methanol extract were tested in carrageenan induced paw edema in mice and yeast induced hyperthermia respectively²³.

Analgesic activity:

The present study is aimed to determine the anti-nociceptive activity of crude methanol extract of Hypericum oblongifolium. In vivo acetic acid induced writhing test was used for anti-nociceptive effects in mice at 10, 20 and 30mg/kg body weight respectively intra peritoneally. The methanol extract of medicinal plant Hypericum oblongifolium showed significant analgesic/anti-nociceptive effects in animal models and thus supports the traditional uses of the plant in painful conditions²⁴.

Anti proliferative activity:

The antiproliferative activity of hexane (F1), ethyl acetate (F2), butanol (F3) and water (F4) extracts of Hypericum oblongifolium were tested in vitro for their anti- proliferative (anticancer) activity on the cell lines: HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma, NCI-H 460 human non-small cell lung carcinoma, MCF-7 human breast cancer, OVCAR-3 human ovarian adenocarcinoma and RXF-393 human renal cell carcinoma with etoposide as positive control²⁵.

Wound healing:

The wound-healing effect of H.ypericum perforatum extract was evaluated by comparing with dexpanthenol and titrated extract of Centella asiatica (TECA) on cultured chicken embryonic fibroblasts. Chicken embryonic fibroblasts from fertilized eggs were incubated with the plant extract, dexpanthenol and TECA. The wound-healing activity of H. perforatum extract seems to be mainly due to the increase in the stimulation of fibroblast collagen production and the activation of fibroblast cells in polygonal shape, which plays a role in wound repair by closing damaged area. The findings demonstrated the wound-healing activity of Hypericum. perforatum which has previously been based on ethnomedical data.

Anti-ulcer:

Three new xanthones, hypericorin C (1), hypericorin D (2) and 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyxanthone (3), along with eight known compounds; 2,3-dimethoxyxanthone (4), 3,4-dihydroxy-2- methoxyxanthone (5), 3,5-dihydroxy-1-methoxyxanthone (6), 3-acetylbetulinic acid (7), 10H-1,3- dioxolo[4,5-b]xanthen-10-one (8), 3-hydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone (9), 3,4,5-trihydroxyxanthone (10) and betulinic acid (11) were isolated from the roots of Hypericum oblongifolium. The structures of the new compounds 1, 2 and 3 were deduced by spectroscopic techniques [ESI MS, 1 H NMR, 13C NMR, and 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC, COSY and NOESY)]. The entire series of compounds were evaluated for anti-ulcer activity²⁶.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

No.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Authors are grateful to Chairman and Chancellor Shri Mahant Devendra Dass Ji Maharaj, Vice Chancellor Dr. U.S. Rawat Sir and Dean of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) to provide facility and their full support for this review/ research work.

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Received on 17.02.2022 Modified on 14.03.2022

Res. J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochem. 2022; 14(2):103-106.

DOI: 10.52711/0975-4385.2022.00019