Phototoxicity in human lens epithelial cells promoted by St. John's Wort

Yu Ying He, Colin F. Chignell, David S. Miller, Usha P. Andley, Joan E. Roberts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)583-586
Number of pages4
JournalPhotochemistry and Photobiology
Volume80
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2004

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