Hypericum foliosum Quality Botanical and Chemical Markers and In Vitro Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities.

Hypericum foliosum Aiton is an endemic Azorean Hypericum species. Even though the aerial parts of Hypericum foliosum are not described in any official pharmacopoeia, they are utilized in local traditional medicine due to their diuretic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive properties. This plant has previously been the subject of phytochemical characterization and has been studied for its antidepressant activity, showing significant results in animal models. The lack of a description of the main characteristics of the aerial parts, which would be necessary to properly identify this medicinal plant species, contributes to the possibility of misidentification events. We performed macroscopic and microscopic analyses that identified specific differential characteristics, such as the absence of dark glands, the dimensions of the secretory pockets in the leaf, and the presence of translucent glands in the powder. To continue our previous work on the biological activity of Hypericum foliosum, ethanol, dichloromethane/ethanol, and water extracts were prepared and studied for their antioxidant and cytotoxic activity. Extracts showed in vitro selective cytotoxic activity in human lung cancer cell line A549, colon cancer cell line HCT 8, and breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, with dichloromethane/ethanol showing higher activity against all cell lines (IC50 values of 71.49, 27.31, and 9.51 µg/mL, respectively). All extracts also showed significant antioxidant activity.

[Therapeutic effect of acupoint injection as adjuvant treatment on dry eyes of convalescent herpes simplex keratitis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of acupoint injection of houttuynia cordata as the accessory treatment on dry eyes of convalescent herpes simplex keratitis (HSK). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with dry eyes of convalescent HSK were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the control group, the artificial tears and anti-inflammatory drugs were combined in treatment. In the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, the acupoint injection of houttuynia cordata at Neiqiuhou (Extra) was combined, 3 mL each time, once a day. After consecutive 3 injections, the injection was adjusted to be once every two days, consecutively for 3 times. The treatment for 6 times was as one course and one course of treatment was required. Separately, before treatment and in 7, 15 and 30 days after treatment, the changes of the scores of visual analogue scale (VAS), theresults of SchirmerⅠtest (SⅠT), the tear break-up time (BUT) and the score of corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) were observed and analyzed in the patients of the two groups. RESULTS: In 7, 15 and 30 days after treatment, VAS scores and CFS scores were all reduced as compared with those before treatment in the patients of the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores of VAS and CFS in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). In 7, 15 and 30 days after treatment, the values of SⅠT and BUT were all increased as compared with those before treatment in the patients of the two groups (P<0.05), and the values in the observation group were higher than the control group in 15 and 30 days after treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupoint injection of houttuynia cordata promotes corneal epithelial recovery, reduces the discomfort symptoms as well as increases tear secretion and the stability of tear film in dry eyes of convalescent herpes simplex keratitis.