TY - JOUR
T1 - Phototoxicity in human lens epithelial cells promoted by St. John's Wort
AU - He, Yu Ying
AU - Chignell, Colin F.
AU - Miller, David S.
AU - Andley, Usha P.
AU - Roberts, Joan E.
PY - 2004/11
Y1 - 2004/11
N2 - St. John's Wort (SJW), an over-the-counter antidepressant, contains hypericin, which absorbs light in the UV and visible ranges and is phototoxic to skin. To determine if it also could be phototoxic to the eye, we exposed human lens epithelial cells to 0.1-10 μM hypericin and irradiated them with 4 J/cm2 UV-A or 0.9 J/cm2 visible light. Neither hypericin exposure alone nor light exposure alone reduced cell viability. In contrast, cells exposed to hypericin in combination with UV-A or visible light underwent necrosis and apoptosis. The ocular antioxidants lutein and N-acetyl cysteine did not prevent damage. Thus, ingested SJW is potentially phototoxic to the eye and could contribute to early cataractogenesis. Precautions should be taken to protect the eye from intense sunlight while taking SJW.
AB - St. John's Wort (SJW), an over-the-counter antidepressant, contains hypericin, which absorbs light in the UV and visible ranges and is phototoxic to skin. To determine if it also could be phototoxic to the eye, we exposed human lens epithelial cells to 0.1-10 μM hypericin and irradiated them with 4 J/cm2 UV-A or 0.9 J/cm2 visible light. Neither hypericin exposure alone nor light exposure alone reduced cell viability. In contrast, cells exposed to hypericin in combination with UV-A or visible light underwent necrosis and apoptosis. The ocular antioxidants lutein and N-acetyl cysteine did not prevent damage. Thus, ingested SJW is potentially phototoxic to the eye and could contribute to early cataractogenesis. Precautions should be taken to protect the eye from intense sunlight while taking SJW.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=12944327386&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1562/2004-06-25-RA-217.1
DO - 10.1562/2004-06-25-RA-217.1
M3 - Article
C2 - 15623347
AN - SCOPUS:12944327386
SN - 0031-8655
VL - 80
SP - 583
EP - 586
JO - Photochemistry and Photobiology
JF - Photochemistry and Photobiology
IS - 3
ER -