Investigation of the Effect of Hyperforin on Membrane Lipids with In Vitro and In Vivo Convulsion Models
Project no. 22372 · Status: Kapanmış · 2020
Summary
For the treatment of many diseases, not only medical approaches, but also traditional ailments have begun to draw attention. Herbal therapies have become an option for patients who cannot find what they are looking for from pharmacological therapies. Although herbal treatment options are based on public experience, scientific research needs to reveal their possible efficacy and potential side effects. In this context, we designed this study to investigate the effectiveness of hyperforin, the main active ingredient of St. John's Wort oil on the nervous system, which is used for various purposes from wound treatment to mood disorders. The fact that hyperforin is a fat-soluble substance and is used in mood changes suggests that this substance may have direct or indirect effects on the nervous system. Here, we designed our study with the assumption that it influences neural excitability and that it can do this by interacting with membrane lipids. In our study, low and high doses of hyperforin were tested in in-vitro rat primary neuron culture and mixed glia culture. In addition, the effects of hyperforin extract on seizure behavior were investigated in an in-vivo convulsion model. When examined, the efficacy of hyperforin on cell cultures with acute and chronic excitotoxicity groups, no significant protection was observed. On the other hand, high doses of hyperforin caused cell death. When given in vivo, it has been observed to increase the seizure threshold. The severity and number of seizures were significantly reduced in rats treated with the extract. Although lipid analyzes indicate significant changes in cell cultures, further studies are required to discuss the importance of this change. Due to a significant delay in our study during the pandemic period and the malfunction of our sectioning device, in vivo lipid analyzes and histology studies could not be finished by the time of report submission. In the coming period the histological evaluations will be completed. In addition, oil typing will be performed using Nile Red staining in the sections using the available facilities. With the study, a “Research Education Program” student was trained, and her scientific knowledge / experience was increased. With the completion of the missing experiments, the students will make important contributions to the preparation of the manuscript.