Carolina Carreño Contreras

Ms. Carolina Carreño Contreras


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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3 December 2024 in Pharmaceuticals
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Carolina OteroCarolina Otero
Carolina Otero
FCFrancisco Ceric
Francisco Ceric
SMSebastian Miranda-Rojas
Sebastian Miranda-Rojas
CCCarolina Carreño Contreras
Carolina Carreño Contreras
RVRachelly Fernanda Escares Valenzuela
Rachelly Fernanda Escares Valenzuela
FGFelipe Gordillo
Felipe Gordillo
Hypericum perforatum, also known as St. John’s Wort, pericon, or yellow grass, is known for its antidepressant potential. It could represent a natural alternative to current pharmacological antidepressant treatments, which have a high incidence of side effects in patients and therefore lead to early dropouts. Through a bibliographic revision of clinical trials and information collected from scientific articles during the first period of 2020, we aimed to evaluate whether its administration could be beneficial in the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression, with fewer side effects compared to synthetic drugs. Among the main components, hypericin and hyperforin have been related to the observed antidepressant activity; therefore, their possible mechanism of action was reviewed and highlighted. Furthermore, patients receiving Hypericum extracts were less likely to withdraw from studies because of adverse effects compared to those receiving older standard antidepressants. This review aims to provide suggestions for an alternative treatment of mild-to-moderate depression disorder under the supervision of a medical doctor, since, although it appears to be a potentially efficient treatment with a low presence of adverse effects in comparison to synthetic antidepressants, it might also interact with other medications and lead to therapeutic failures if misused for self-medication.