Enhancing the efficacy of Hypericum perforatum in the treatment of an experimental model of multiple sclerosis using gold nanoparticles: an in vivo study

Objective: Hypericum perforatum is a herbal medicine used in traditional medicine for the treatment of depression due to its antidepressant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of H. perforatum extract (HPE) in combination with gold nanoparticles (HPE-GNP) against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Materials and Methods: EAE was induced in C۵۷BL/۶ mice with subcutaneous injection of MOG۳۵-۵۵ emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant, and intraperitoneal pertussis toxin. Mice were treated with drugs in free (HPE) and nano-form (HPE-GNP) preparations. Splenocytes were isolated from all mice and the level of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by ELISA. The expression of T cells' transcription factors was also assessed using Real-Time PCR.Results: Clinical score was reduced after HPE-GNP treatment. This change was associated with a decrease in the incidence and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system. Additionally, treatment with HPE-GNP decreased the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-۱۷A and IL-۶) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (TGF-β, IL-۱۰ and IL-۴). The real-time analysis revealed a decrease in the level of T-bet and ROR-γt  but an increase in FoxP۳ and GATA۳ expression.Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that HPE-GNP could potentially reduce clinical and pathological complications of EAE, but laboratory data showed that HPE-GNP was significantly more effective than HPE in the treatment of EAE.

Keywords:

Hypericum perforatum L , Multiple Sclerosis , Experimental autoimmune , Encephalomyelitis , Gold Nanoparticle , Myelin oligodendrocyte , Glycoprotein