Biological Potential of Hypericum L. Sect. Drosocarpium Species

The limited data on biological potential of the genus Hypericum sect. Drosocarpium species initiated the current research aimed at the chemical characterization of samples of six selected taxa (H. barbatum, H. montbretii, H. richerii subsp. grisebachii, H. rochelii, H. rumeliacum, and H. spruneri) and the evaluation of their biological potential (antioxidant and antihyperglycaemic potential, acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidases inhibition). The obtained results suggest greater abundance of biologically active compounds, hypericin (H. rochelii, H. barbatum, and H. richerii subsp. grisebachii), amentoflavone (H. richerii subsp. grisebachii), quercetin and rutin (H. richerii subsp. grisebachii), and chlorogenic acid (H. richerii subsp. grisebachii, H. barbatum, H. rumeliacum), when compared to H. perforatum. Also, the scavenging potential of DPPH (median RSC50 = 3.34 µg/mL), NO (median RSC50 = 26.47 µg/mL) and OH radicals (median RSC50 = 76.87 µg/mL) of evaluated species was higher, or at least comparable to H. perforatum, while the same trend was noticed in the case of anti-MAO-A (median IC50 = 19.41 µg/mL) and antihyperglycaemic potential (inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase (median IC50 = 29.47 µg/mL)). The study results highlight sect. Drosocarpium species as a valuable source of biologically active secondary metabolites and suggest a wide spectrum of possible applications in the food and medicine industries.