The effect of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) on müller cells under oxidati̇ve stress conditions

Müller cells are the main glial cells that play an important role in maintaining retinal health and function. Müller cells spread throughout the entire retina and interact with neurons and blood vessels. Müller cells secrete factors necessary for neurons to survive and function. In diseased state, damage to Müller cells leads to neuronal dysfunction and cell death, as well as retinal pathologies such as diabetic retinopathy. Hypericum perforatum L., known as St John's Wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Hypericaceae family. Pharmacological and clinical studies have shown that St. John's Wort extracts have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti- oxidant, antidepressant, anticancer and neuroprotective activities. In this study, the protective effects of St. John's Wort extracts (water, ethyl acetate, methanol), St. John's Wort oil, hypericin and hyperforin against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in MIO-M1 cells were investigated. According to the results of cell viability analysis, protective activity was observed with 1000 µg/ml water extract treatment. Chemical composition analysis of water extract would allow the determination of the components that possess the protective activity on MIO-M1 cells against oxidative stress.