Assessing the phytochemical profiles and antidepressant-like activity of four Peruvian Hypericum species using the murine forced swimming test

Abstract 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.