Investigation on Chemical Composition of five Hypericum species essential oils and measuring of Hypericin by HPLC.

Hypericum genus is one of the most important medicinal plants which contains 17 species in Iran. Three of them are endemic. In this research, six species of Hypericum collected on June and August 2007 were stued. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation from flowers and leaves of hypericum species and then were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Main components of H. dogonbadanicum flower oil (endemic of Iran) were phenyl ethyl octanoate (29.0%), terpin-4-ol (20.0%), and ل-phellandrene (12.9%), with yield of 0.007% and major leaf components were â-pinene (54.3%), ل-pinene (12.0%) and p-cymene (11.0%), with yield of 0.016%. Main components of oil H. helianthemoides flower were ل-pinene (55.9%), Z-â-ocimene (8.7%) and â-pinene (7.5%) with yield of 0.2%. Major compounds of the essential oil of H. hyssopifolium flower were ل-pinene (49.5%), â-pinene (12.9%) and n-tetradecan (5.2%), with yield of (0.01%), and that of leaf oil were E-nerolidol (21.0%), n-tetradecane (15.8%) and ل- himachalene (13.3%), with yield of 0.17%. Main compounds of the oil of H. lysimachioides flower were ل-pinene (55.0%), Z-â-ocimene (30.7%) and ntetradecane (2.7%), with yield of 0.023%. Main cpmpounds of the oil of H. perforatum flower were E-â-farnesene (14.7%), n-hexadecanal (9.1%) and E-nerolidol (7.8%), with yield of 0.05%. Main components of essential oil H. triquetrifolium flower were n-tetradecane (21.3%), ل-himachalene (14.2%) and ل-pinene (10.7%), with yield od 0.071%, and essential oil leaf were ل-himachalen (27%), n-tetradecane (25.7%) and n-pentadecane (7.0%), with yield of 0.091%. Hypericin content of flowers and leaves of six Hypericum specie were determined. Plant materials were extracted with chloroform by Soxhlet until chlorophyll ceased extracting. After removal of chloroform, the thimble was re-extracted with methanol until the red pigment, hypericin, ceased extracting. Hypericin were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection on 590 nm. Hypericin content in H.dogonbadanicum, H. helianthemoides, H. hyssopifolium, H.lysimachioides, H. perforatum and H. triquetrifolium flower were 157 ppm, 7629 ppm, 3482 ppm, 41915 ppm, 109539 ppm, 105521 ppm respectively. Also hypericin content in leaves of hypericum were 839 ppm, 258 ppm, 4455 ppm, 8987 ppm, 41944 ppm, and 75007 ppm. Hypericin content in H. triquetrifolium stem was 244 ppm. Hypericin content in different Hypericum species are different, the highest value is detrmined in H. perforatum with 109539 ppm.