St. John?s wort extract is composed of a large number of components, about 150, but the most studied and interesting substance are hyperforin and hypericin. The herb is very popular and it is known for its pharmacological efficacy in numerous disorders. It is used for treatment of mild to moderated depression as an alternative to synthetic antidepressants.

The RECK gene is a relatively new discovered gene with important implications for cancer research. The research has been primarily concentrated on the human gene with the ultimate aim to identify the invasive characteristics. Up regulated RECK is linked to significantly prolonged survival rates in patients with severe forms of malignancies. RECK is normally expressed in all cells of the body and has an important role in the balance between destructive and constructive features of the extracellular matrix. The RECK protein is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that inhibit matrix metalloproteinases which has the function of breaking down the ECM. There is a significant correlation between RECK gene expression and the formation of new vessels, presumably via the mediation of VEGF which is an important and powerful inducer of angiogenesis.

Tissue factor (TF), a 47 kDa glycoprotein, is the initiator of the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation and consequently of the upmost importance when damage to blood vessel occurs. The source of TF in circulation has been investigated. However, the source of TF is still not clear. One theory is that platelets express and increases the expression of TF after stimulation and the aim of our report was to investigate whether platelets really are a source for TF in circulation.Using specific primers for TF mRNA, platelets in plasma from healthy volunteers and from patients suffering from cardiac infarction were analyzed by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Gel electrophoresis was performed after amplification of TF mRNA to verify the results.The samples were negative for TF when using real-time PCR and the few positive all had cycle threshold (Ct) values above 35.

P-glykoprotein (P-gp) är en effluxtransportör som ursprungligen uppmärksammades för sin kapacitet att skydda tumörceller från flertalet läkemedel. Det har sedan visat sig att P-gp även finns i andra vävnader, som tarm, njurtubuli, lever samt i hjärnans kapillära endotelceller. P-gp är en viktig komponent i blod-hjärnbarriären där den hindrar passage av icke-essentiella substanser till hjärnan. Genen som kodar för P-gp kallas MDR1. Mutationen som flertalet hundraser har är en deletion i det fjärde kodande exonet i denna gen.