Variability of Hypericins and Hyperforin inHypericumSpecies from the Sicilian Flora

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Abstract
Within Sicilian flora, the genusHypericum(Guttiferae) includes 10 native species, the most popular of which isH. perforatum. Hypericum’s most investigated active compounds belong to naphtodianthrones (hypericin, pseudohypericin) and phloroglucinols (hyperforin, adhyperforin), and the commercial value of the drug is graded according to its total hypericin content. Ethnobotanical sources attribute the therapeutic properties recognized forH. perforatum, also to otherHypericumspecies. However, their smaller distribution inside the territory suggests that an industrial use of such species, when collected from the wild, would result in an unacceptable depletion of their natural stands. This study investigated about the potential pharmacological properties of 48 accessions from six native species ofHypericum, includingH. perforatumand five ‘minor’ species, also comparing, when possible, wild and cultivated sources. The variability in the content of active metabolites was remarkably high, and the differences within the species were often comparable to the differences among species. No difference was enlightened between wild and cultivated plants. A carefully planned cultivation ofHypericumseems the best option to achieve high and steady biomass yields, but there is a need for phytochemical studies, aimed to identify for multiplication the genotypes with the highest content of the active metabolites.

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