hypericum and Endometriosis

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) and St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) are used as an emmenagog and for the treatment of other gynecological disorders including uterus inflammation and endometriosis. The aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of a mixture of sea buckthorn and St. John's wort oils (HrHp oil) in the treatment of endometriosis.. The activity was assessed in surgically induced endometriosis in rats. A 15-mm piece of endometrium was sutured into the abdominal wall. Twenty-eight days later, a second laparotomy was performed to calculate the endometrial foci areas and to score intra-abdominal adhesions. The rats were treated with either vehicle, HrHp oil formulation, or the reference (buserelin acetate). At the end of the experiment all rats were sacrificed and endometriotic foci areas and intra-abdominal adhesions were re-evaluated. The tissue sections were analyzed histopathologically. Peritoneal fluids of the experimental animals were collected in order to detect the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, vascular endothelial growth factor, and interleukin-6, which might be involved in the etiology of endometriosis.. HrHp oil may be a promising alternative for the treatment of endometriosis.

Topics: Animals; Complementary Therapies; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Combinations; Endometriosis; Endometrium; Female; Hippophae; Humans; Hypericum; Interleukin-6; Plant Extracts; Plant Oils; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Necrosis Factors; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A