Abstract:
Introduction: Genus Hypericum (St. John’s wort) includes about 400 species. In the wild flora of the
Republic of Moldova grow 5 species of Hypericum: H. perforatum L., H. elegans Steph., H. hirsutum L., H
tetrapterum Fries., H. montanum L.. The European Pharmacopoeia 6th Ed. (2008) and the Romanian
Pharmacopoeia Xth (1993) for obtaining plant material are allowed the species of H. perforatum L.. St.
John’s wort is a natural antidepressant remedy, due to numerous active components contained, including
the content of anthracene derivatives (hypericin, pseudohypericin).
The aim of this study: Identification and determination of anthracene derivatives in different plant
materials from fourspecies of Hypericum; the study of dynamics of accumulation of these compounds in
H. perforatum species, depends on the phenological stage and geographic area.
Materials and methods: For quantitative determination of anthracene derivatives were collected
aerial parts and separately the vegetative organs (flowers, leaves, stems) from June to August 2010 - at the
flowering stage: the species H. perforatum L. and H. elegans Steph in the forest near the village Tirnova
of Donduseni district; H.hirsutum L. and H. tetrapterum Fries.-in reservation “Codru” Stra§eni district.
For this study the dynamics of accumulation of anthracene derivatives, from June to August 2011 were
collected, the aerial parts of H. perforatum L. in different phenological stages (from floral budding stage
to fruiting stage) and geographic area (meadow the village Nimoreni Ialoveni district, the village Tirnova
Donduseni district forest; the village Lopatica Cahul district forest. The qualitative analysis of the anthracene derivatives was performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The determination of anthracene
derivatives, in various plant materials, was performed with the UV-VIS spectrophotometric method developed by V. A. Kurkin et al. (2008).
Results: Was observed the presence of the hypericin on the chromatograms in all analyzed samples
(Rf = 0,77; 0,88). Performed researches had shown that the total of anthracene derivatives (%, in terms
of hypericin) contents are different: in the aerial parts of H. perforatum L. - 0,22% , H. elegans Steph.
- 0,37% , H. tetrapterum Fries. - 0,17% , H. hirsutum L. - 0,06%; in the flowers of H. perforatum L. -
0,58%, H. elegans Steph.- 0,53% , H. tetrapterum Fries. - 0, 35%, H. hirsutum L. - 0,08%; in the leaves
of H. perforatum L. - 0,21%, H.elegans Steph. - 0,26% , H. tetrapterum Fries. - 0,21%, H. hirsutum L.
- 0,14%; in the stems of H. perforatum L. - 0,036%, H. elegans Steph. - 0,031%, H. tetrapterum Fries. -
0,035%, H. hirsutum L. - 0,017%.
Conclusions: The total of anthracene derivatives (%, in terms of hypericin) the contents are maximal
in aerial parts of H. perforatum L in the flowering phase and collected in the North of the country.
