下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺(HPA)轴的激活是严重抑郁症患者常见的生物学变化,表现为促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)和皮质醇的分泌过多。某些抗抑郁药可纠正抑郁症患者HPA的机能亢进,因而表明HPA轴可能是抗抑郁作用的重要靶点。作者研究了贯叶金丝桃中的活性成分黄酮类化合物金丝桃素、金丝桃苷、异槲皮苷和miquelianin能否调控HPA轴的功能。 Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a common biological change in patients with major depression, manifested by excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. Certain antidepressants can correct hyperfunction of HPA in patients with depression, suggesting that the HPA axis may be an important target for antidepressant effects. The authors studied whether the active ingredients flavonoids hypericin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, and migulianin in St. John’s Wort can regulate the function of the HPA axis.