Posted by Quintal on August 5, 2007, at 22:04:18
In reply to Chrysin as an anxiolytic, posted by Quintal on August 5, 2007, at 0:09:09
Chrysin probably won't be an effective alternative for people who are dependent on classical benzodiazepines. If the bioavailability problem could be overcome it may be more effective than many other alternative remedies for anxiety such as Kava Kava and Valerian though. I've had some thoughts on this issue and I think the most reasonable solution is to administer chrysin via the sublingual route. This is the method favored for other drugs that have low bioavailability such as Heroin and buprenorphine when the IV route is contraindicated. The drug escapes the deleterious effects of hepatic first-pass metabolism this way, and many drugs that are poorly absorbed from the gut fare much better when applied to a mucous membrane. So 'insufflation' (snorting) is another possibility. I'm not sure if sublingual absorption could be increased by dissolving chrysin in an ethanolic or acidic solution? If anyone knows please do tell.
Someone queried the results of the study demonstrating glutathione depletion via private email. Some commonly prescribed drugs also deplete glutathione levels, and paracetamol/acetaminophen is one of them. This rarely causes any problems, even with long-term chronic use, but you could take N-acetyl-cysteine supplements to raise glutathione levels if you're concerned. In the glutathione study they added a tumor cytotoxin called curcumin to the mix, and chrysin potentiated the effect. Chrysin alone was not toxic to mitochondria. The cells used in this experiment were cancer cells, and what was demonstrated was one possible mechanism behind the anti-tumor effects of curcumin (it's a compound found in turmeric that induces apoptosis in cancer cells, but not in healthy cells). Therefore the results of that study seem to suggest that chrysin augments the anti-tumor effects of curcumin.
On the subject of how chrysin affects the metabolism of paracetamol. According to Wiki: "Only a small portion (5–10% of a therapeutic dose) of paracetamol is metabolized via the hepatic cytochrome P450 enzyme system (specifically CYP2E1 and CYP1A2); the toxic effects of paracetamol are due to a minor alkylating metabolite (N-acetyl-p-benzo-quinone imine, abbreviated as NAPQI) that is produced through this enzyme, not paracetamol itself or any of the major metabolites." Therefore, since chrysin is an inhibitor of CYP1A2 - one of the enzymes responsible for the production of the toxic metabolite NAPQI, it may reduce or eliminate paracetamol toxicity.
Chrysin may slow down the excretion of paracetamol however, since it inhibits the sulfo-conjugation pathway. I don't know the full consequnces of this so I'd advise against combing paracetamol/acetaminophen with chrysin until more is known. N-acteyl-cysteine supplements may help prevent toxicity though, since (according to Wiki) "NAPQI reacts with the sulfhydrl groups of glutathione and N-acetyl-cysteine to produce a non-toxic conjugate that is eventually excreted by the kidneys".
I bought a bottle of the MRM chrysin supplement from here and shall report back with results when it is delivered: http://www.thesupplementsite.co.uk/MRM/chrysin.htm?gclid=CJTdh7qi3Y0CFQiIMAodNg5WbA
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:774066
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070601/msgs/774202.html