Variation in the contents of pseudohypericin and hypericin in Hypericum perforatum from Lithuania

Hypericin and hypericin-like substances are considered the main active compounds in Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae). In this work pseudohypericin and hypericin of H. perforatum collected in Lithuania were quantified. Studies on accumulation dynamics and between-accession variation of the contents of these secondary metabolites were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data were statistically processed with ANOVA and PCA. Significant difference between pseudohypericin and hypericin content in floral budding and full flowering stages was detected. The highest amounts of the secondary metabolites were observed in the flowering stage. The study revealed evident within population variations in H. perforatum. Mean concentrations of pseudohypericin and hypericin among accessions varied from 3.45 to 6.82 mg/g and from 1.17 to 2.59 mg/g, respectively. Accessions of H. perforatum showed remarkable differences in chemical composition depending on the provenance of plants.

Research highlights
► Pseudohypericin and hypericin of H. perforatum were quantified by HPLC.
► The highest amounts of total hypericins were observed in the flowering stage.
► It was revealed evident within population variations in H. perforatum in Lithuania.