Pseudohypericin is an aromatic polycyclic dione that is very closely related to

hypericin Hypericin is a naphthodianthrone, an anthraquinone derivative which, together with hyperforin, is one of the principal active constituents of '' Hypericum'' ( Saint John's wort). Hypericin is believed to act as an antibiotic, antiviral and non- ...

. It is found most commonly in the

St. John's wort ''Hypericum perforatum'', known as St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae and the type species of the genus ''Hypericum''. Possibly a hybrid between ''Hypericum maculatum, H. maculatum'' and ''Hypericum attenuatum, H. ...

family of plants, namely in ''

Hypericum perforatum ''Hypericum perforatum'', known as St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae and the type species of the genus '' Hypericum''. Possibly a hybrid between '' H. maculatum'' and '' H. attenuatum'', the species can be found ...

''. In preliminary studies in

animal model An animal model (short for animal disease model) is a living, non-human, often genetic-engineered animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease process without the risk of ha ...

s, pseudohypericin has shown antiviral effects. It may also contribute to the potential antidepressant effect of ''

'' extracts.

References

{{Organic-compound-stub Chemicals in Hypericum