The volatile compositions of three closely related Hypericum species growing wild on the island of Crete were studied, all belonging to the section Coridium. Hydro-distillation in a modified Clevenger-type apparatus was performed according to the Hellenic Pharmacopoeia in order to obtain the essential oils, which were analyzed by GC-MS. Identification of the compounds was carried out by comparison of MS spectra and retention indices with literature data, as well as by co-chromatography with authentic samples. In total, 123 different compounds were identified and the main compounds were by order of their abundance as follows: H. empetrifolium: α-pinene, germacrene D, β-pinene, E-caryophyllene; H. amblycalyx: β-elemene, β-selinene, α-pinene, E-caryophyllene, α-selinene; H. jovis: trans-calamenene, α-selinene, β-elemene. The chemical results revealed the differences and similarities (qualitative and quantitative) between the studied oils, supporting the hypothesis that essential oils from Hypericum spp. do not serve as chemotaxonomic markers. Moreover, the essential oils were subjected to antimicrobial screening. According to the given results, the essential oils possessed better antifungal and anticandidal activities than antibacterial activities.
Hypericum species have a long-term use as wound healing agents, with the most common preparation being the infused oil from the aerial parts. It contains naphthodianthrones, phloroglucinols, and essential oil. An extensive literature survey shows that, unlike napthodianthrones and phloroglucinols, essential oils from Hypericum spp. have not yet been evaluated for their wound healing efficacy. The present study aims to assess the wound healing efficacy of essential oils from H. perforatum, a plant recognized in European Pharmacopoeia for having wound healing properties, as well from 2 other Hypericum species commonly used in Greece as wound healing agents since classical antiquity, namely, H. empetrifolium and H. triquetrifolium. So far, only the wound healing effects of Hypericum oil are known, which is a different herbal preparation containing nonvolatile compounds, while the essential oils under investigation contain only volatile constituents. The essential oils were subjected to GC-MS analyses. Wounds were created on the upper back of hairless SKH-hr1 mice. Healing was evaluated by clinical, histopathological, and biophysical assessment. The essential oils showed a significantly faster wound healing rate in comparison to the controls and the vehicle-treated groups. H. empetrifolium possessed the most significant healing properties while for H. perforatum and H. triquetrifolium skin inflammation persisted. The essential oils from Hypericum spp. showed promising results as wound healing agents and are likely to contribute to the wound healing efficacy of the Hypericum preparations. H. empetrifolium, being the most potent anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent, confirms the traditional use of this plant in Greece for wounds and skin inflammations.
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