title: A mixture of St. John's wort and sea buckthorn oils regresses endometriotic implants and affects the levels of inflammatory mediators in peritoneal fluid of the rat: A surgically induced endometriosis model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the HrHp oil-treated group, the volumes of endometriotic implants were found to be significantly decreased (from 50.8 mm3to 18.6 mm3, p<0.001) without any adhesion (0.0±0.0, p<0.001) when compared to the control group (3.1±0.9). The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α decreased from 7.02±1.33 pg/mL to 4.78±1.02 pg/mL (p<0.01); vascular endothelial growth factor from 17.39±8.52 pg/mL to 9.67±5.04 pg/mL (p<0.01); and interleukin-6 from 50.95±22.84 pg/mL to 29.11±7.45 pg/mL (p<0.01), respectively, after HrHp oil treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HrHp oil may be a promising alternative for the treatment of endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mert
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: İlhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İpek
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Süntar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Animals Breeding and Experimental Researches Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mürşide Ayşe
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Demirel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yeditepe University, Atasehir, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yeşilada
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hikmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: esrak@gazi.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Küpeli Akkol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D031281:Hippophae; D006801:Humans; D020902:Hypericum; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn); Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort); cytokine; experimental endometriosis model