Dihydromethysticin

The herbs of Piper methysticum

Desmethoxyyangonin and dihydromethysticin are two major pharmacological kavalactones with marked activity on the induction of CYP3A23.[Pubmed:15282211]

Drug Metab Dispos. 2004 Nov;32(11):1317-24.

Kava kava (Piper methysticum), an herbal remedy, is widely used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of anxiety. The therapeutic activity is presumably achieved through multiple constituents called kavalactones. Recently, kava extracts were shown to induce CYP3A4 and activate human pregnane X receptor (PXR). This study was undertaken to test the ability of purified kavalactones to induce CYP3A23 and activate PXR. Rat hepatocytes were treated with desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokawain, Dihydromethysticin, kawain, methysticin, or yangonin, and the expression of CYP3A23 was monitored. Among the kavalactones, only desmethoxyyangonin and Dihydromethysticin markedly induced the expression of CYP3A23 (approximately 7-fold). A similar magnitude of induction was detected with combined six kavalactones at a noninductive concentration when individually used. The induced expression, however, was markedly reduced or completely abolished if Dihydromethysticin, desmethoxyyangonin, or both were excluded from the mixtures. Interestingly, regardless of whether Dihydromethysticin or desmethoxyyangonin was used alone or together with other kavalactones, similar amounts of total kavalactones were needed to produce comparable induction, suggesting that the inductive activity of Dihydromethysticin and desmethoxyyangonin is additively/synergistically enhanced by other kavalactones. In addition, treatment with Dihydromethysticin, desmethoxyyangonin, or pregnenolone 16alpha-carbonitrile (PCN) markedly increased the levels of CYP3A23 mRNA, and inhibition of mRNA synthesis abolished the induction. In contrast to PCN, Dihydromethysticin and desmethoxyyangonin only slightly activated rat or human PXR. These findings suggest that the induction of CYP3A23 by Dihydromethysticin and desmethoxyyangonin involves transcription activation, probably through a PXR-independent or PXR-involved indirect mechanism.

Kavain, dihydrokavain, and dihydromethysticin non-competitively inhibit the specific binding of [3H]-batrachotoxinin-A 20-alpha-benzoate to receptor site 2 of voltage-gated Na+ channels.[Pubmed:9690349]

Planta Med. 1998 Jun;64(5):458-9.

The mode of action of the kava pyrones, kavain, dihydrokavain and Dihydromethysticin on the specific binding of [3H]-batrachotoxinin-A 20-alpha-benzoate to epitope 2 of voltage-dependent Na+ channels was investigated by performing saturation experiments in the presence and absence of these kava pyrones. The tested compounds significantly decreased the apparent total number of binding sites (Bmax) for [3H]-batrachotoxinin-A 20-alpha-benzoate (control: 0.5 pmol/mg protein, kava pyrones: 0.2-0.27 pmol/mg protein) with little change in the equilibrium constants (KD) for [3H]-batrachotoxin-A 20-alpha-benzoate (control: 28.2 nM, kava pyrones: 24-31 nM). The results indicate for the kava pyrones a non-competitive inhibition of the specific [3H]-batrachotoxinin-A 20-alpha-benzoate binding to receptor site 2 of voltage-gated Na+ channels.

Dihydromethysticin is one of the six major kavalactones found in the kava plant; has marked activity on the induction of CYP3A23.

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