1 2 Assessing the phytochemical profiles and antidepressant-like activity 3 of four Peruvian Hypericum species using the murine forced swimming 4 test 5 Gari V. Ccana-Ccapatinta Q1 a,e , Carlos Serrano Flores b , Emma J. Urrunaga Soria b , 6 Jorge Choquenaira Pari b , Washington Galiano Sa ´ nchez c , Sara L. Crockett d , 7 Gilsane L. von Poser e , Carla del Carpio Jimenez a, * 8 a Pharmacy Department, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru 9 b Chemistry Department, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru 10 c Biology Department, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru 11 d Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacognosy, Karl-Franzens-Universita ¨t Graz, Universita ¨tsplatz 4, 8010 Graz, Austria 12 e Programa de Po ´s Graduac ¸a ˜o em Cieˆncias Farmaceˆuticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 2752, 90610.000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 13 14 1. Introduction 15 Extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) are used 16 worldwide to treat mild to moderate depression. The spectrum of 17 side effects is lower compared to that of current pharmacological 18 treatments (Kasper et al., 2010). The naphthodianthrone hypericin, 19 the acylphloroglucinol derivative hyperforin and several flavo- 20 noids appear to contribute to the antidepressant activity (Nahr- 21 stedt and Butterweck, 2010). 22 The genus Hypericum (Hypericaceae) encompasses nearly 500 23 species occurring worldwide, and is currently divided into 36 24 taxonomic sections (Robson, 2012). The majority of Hypericum 25 species native to South America belong to the taxonomic sections 26 Brathys and Trigynobrathys (Crockett et al., 2010). From these two 27 sections, extracts from Hypericum caprifoliatum and Hypericum 28 polyanthemum and their fractions have been the subject of several 29 pharmacological studies, and demonstrated antidepressant and 30 analgesic activity (Viana et al., 2003, 2006). Flavonoids and 31 dimeric acylphloroglucinol derivatives were identified as major 32 bioactive constituents (Haas et al., 2011; Stolz et al., 2012; Stein 33 et al., 2012). 34 Examinations and comparisons of chemical constituents and 35 pharmacological profiles of various Hypericum species can be 36 helpful in the search for alternative sources of antidepressant 37 compounds (Viana et al., 2006). The aim of this study was to assess 38 the potential antidepressant-like activity of CEE from Hypericum 39 andinum Gleason, Hypericum brevistylum Choisy, Hypericum 40 laricifolium Juss and Hypericum silenoides Juss, as well as to identify 41 their mayor phytochemical components. The phytochemical 42 composition of these Hypericum species with antidepressant-like 43 activity in the forced swimming test (FST) is briefly summarized, 44 and the importance of flavonoids with reference to the activity 45 highlighted. Phytochemistry Letters xxx (2014) xxx–xxx A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 12 March 2014 Received in revised form 23 July 2014 Accepted 5 August 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: Hypericum andinum H. brevistylum H. silenoides H. laricifolium Hyperoside Lorke acute toxicity test A B S T R A C T The antidepressant-like activity of crude ethanolic extracts (CEE) from four Peruvian Hypericum species (Hypericum andinum, Hypericum brevistylum, Hypericum silenoides and Hypericum laricifolium) was assessed using the forced swimming test (FST) in mice. Different doses of all CEE shortened the immobility time of mice in experimental groups, indicating that these extracts possessed a potential antidepressant-like activity. Phytochemical analyses revealed that the CEE were rich in flavonoids, principally hyperoside, and to a lesser extent, dimeric acylphloroglucinol derivatives. The phytochemical composition of Hypericum species with reported antidepressant-like activity in the FST is briefly summarized, and the importance of flavonoids with reference to the activity highlighted. ß 2014 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +51 84 224831; fax: +51 84 238156. E-mail addresses: delcarpiojc_daqf@unsaac.edu.pe, ccana.ccapatinta@gmail.com (C. del Carpio Jimenez). G Model PHYTOL 755 1–6 Please cite this article in press as: Ccana-Ccapatinta, G.V., et al., Assessing the phytochemical profiles and antidepressant-like activity of four Peruvian Hypericum species using the murine forced swimming test. Phytochem. Lett. (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.phytol.2014.08.007 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Phytochemistry Letters jo u rn al h om ep ag e: ww w.els evier.c o m/lo c ate/p hyt ol http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2014.08.007 1874-3900/ß 2014 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.