Hypericin Induced Malformation, Mortality and Hepatotoxicity During Zebrafish Development

Hypericin, a major bioactive compound from St. John’s-wort, has been shown to exert several pharmacological activities including anti-viral, anti-depressant, and anti-cancer effects. However, the effect of hypericin on embryonic development still remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of hypericin during embryonic development by using zebrafish as a model organism. Hypericin caused mortality and malformation in zebrafish in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, hypericin also affected the liver development in zebrafish. On the other hand, no overt alteration in angiogenesis was observed in hypericin-treated zebrafish. In addition, no inhibition of Hep3B cell proliferation was observed using xenotransplantation assay in response to hypericin treatment. In conclusion, our findings suggest that hypericin may exhibit hepatotoxicity and lead to malformation and mortality during embryonic development in zebrafish.