Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies
<i>Hypericum</i> is a widely present plant, and extracts of its leaves, flowers, and aerial elements have been employed for many years as therapeutic cures for depression, skin wounds, and respiratory and inflammatory disorders. <i>Hypericum</i> also displays an ample variety...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/146 |
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| author | Alessandro Allegra Alessandro Tonacci Elvira Ventura Spagnolo Caterina Musolino Sebastiano Gangemi |
| author_facet | Alessandro Allegra Alessandro Tonacci Elvira Ventura Spagnolo Caterina Musolino Sebastiano Gangemi |
| author_sort | Alessandro Allegra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Hypericum</i> is a widely present plant, and extracts of its leaves, flowers, and aerial elements have been employed for many years as therapeutic cures for depression, skin wounds, and respiratory and inflammatory disorders. <i>Hypericum</i> also displays an ample variety of other biological actions, such as hypotensive, analgesic, anti-infective, anti-oxidant, and spasmolytic abilities. However, recent investigations highlighted that this species could be advantageous for the cure of other pathological situations, such as trigeminal neuralgia, as well as in the treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of St. John’s Wort (<i>Hypericum perforatum),</i> its derivatives, and other <i>Hypericum</i> species in hematologic malignancies. <i>Hypericum</i> induces apoptosis in both myeloid and lymphoid cells. Other <i>Hypericum</i> targets include matrix metalloproteinase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, which are mediators of cell migration and angiogenesis. <i>Hypericum</i> also downregulates the expression of proteins that are involved in the resistance of leukemia cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Finally, <i>Hypericum</i> and its derivatives appear to have photodynamic effects and are candidates for applications in tumor photodynamic therapy. Although the in vitro studies appear promising, controlled in vivo studies are necessary before we can hypothesize the introduction of <i>Hypericum</i> and its derivatives into clinical practice for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:46:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3391648cd4924e9e9692ed2cc978eb54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:46:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3391648cd4924e9e9692ed2cc978eb542023-11-21T02:34:34ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672020-12-0122114610.3390/ijms22010146Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic MalignanciesAlessandro Allegra0Alessandro Tonacci1Elvira Ventura Spagnolo2Caterina Musolino3Sebastiano Gangemi4Division of Hematology, Department of Human Pathology in Adulthood and Childhood “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyClinical Physiology Institute, National Research Council of Italy (IFC-CNR), 56124 Pisa, ItalySection of Legal Medicine, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Maternal and Infant Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, 129, 90127 Palermo, ItalyDivision of Hematology, Department of Human Pathology in Adulthood and Childhood “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalySchool and Operative Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy<i>Hypericum</i> is a widely present plant, and extracts of its leaves, flowers, and aerial elements have been employed for many years as therapeutic cures for depression, skin wounds, and respiratory and inflammatory disorders. <i>Hypericum</i> also displays an ample variety of other biological actions, such as hypotensive, analgesic, anti-infective, anti-oxidant, and spasmolytic abilities. However, recent investigations highlighted that this species could be advantageous for the cure of other pathological situations, such as trigeminal neuralgia, as well as in the treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of St. John’s Wort (<i>Hypericum perforatum),</i> its derivatives, and other <i>Hypericum</i> species in hematologic malignancies. <i>Hypericum</i> induces apoptosis in both myeloid and lymphoid cells. Other <i>Hypericum</i> targets include matrix metalloproteinase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, which are mediators of cell migration and angiogenesis. <i>Hypericum</i> also downregulates the expression of proteins that are involved in the resistance of leukemia cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Finally, <i>Hypericum</i> and its derivatives appear to have photodynamic effects and are candidates for applications in tumor photodynamic therapy. Although the in vitro studies appear promising, controlled in vivo studies are necessary before we can hypothesize the introduction of <i>Hypericum</i> and its derivatives into clinical practice for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/146<i>Hypericum</i>St. John’s worthypericinhyperforinleukemialymphoma |
| spellingShingle | Alessandro Allegra Alessandro Tonacci Elvira Ventura Spagnolo Caterina Musolino Sebastiano Gangemi Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies International Journal of Molecular Sciences <i>Hypericum</i> St. John’s wort hypericin hyperforin leukemia lymphoma |
| title | Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies |
| title_full | Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies |
| title_fullStr | Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies |
| title_short | Antiproliferative Effects of St. John’s Wort, Its Derivatives, and Other <i>Hypericum</i> Species in Hematologic Malignancies |
| title_sort | antiproliferative effects of st john s wort its derivatives and other i hypericum i species in hematologic malignancies |
| topic | <i>Hypericum</i> St. John’s wort hypericin hyperforin leukemia lymphoma |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/146 |
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