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Flavokavain A is a flavokavain found in the kava plant.[1]

A systematic review of studies on kava found evidence that its bioactive compounds, particularly flavokavain A and B, exert antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects across multiple cancer models, highlighting its potential chemotherapeutic use especially for epithelial cancers, though research on oral squamous cell carcinoma remains scarce.[2] It shows strong anticancer effects—particularly against bladder cancer—by inducing apoptosis through Bax-dependent pathways and inhibiting key anti-apoptotic proteins, with promising results in both cell cultures and animal models.[3]

Kava alone is not hepatotoxic in mice, but its chalcone compounds flavokavains A and B significantly increase acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity, suggesting that herb-drug interactions may explain rare severe liver damage seen with kava use in humans.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dharmaratne, H. Ranjith W.; N. P. Dhammika Nanayakkara; Ikhlas A. Khan (February 2002). “Kavalactones from Piper methysticum, and their 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses”. Phytochemistry. 59 (4): 429–33. Bibcode:2002PChem..59..429R. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(01)00443-5. PMID 11830162.
  2. ↑ Celentano, Antonio; Tran, Andrew; Testa, Claire; Thayanantha, Krishen; Tan-Orders, William; Tan, Stephanie; Syamal, Mitali; McCullough, Michael J.; Yap, Tami (2019). “The protective effects of Kava (Piper methysticum) constituents in cancers: A systematic review”. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. 48 (7): 510–529. doi:10.1111/jop.12900. PMID 31172600.
  3. ↑ Zi X, Simoneau AR (April 2005). “Flavokawain A, a novel chalcone from kava extract, induces apoptosis in bladder cancer cells by involvement of Bax protein-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway and suppresses tumor growth in mice” (PDF). Cancer Research. 65 (8): 3479–86. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-04-3803. PMID 15833884.
  4. ↑ Narayanapillai, Sreekanth C; Leitzman, Pablo; O’Sullivan, M Gerard; Xing, Chengguo (Sep 3, 2014). “Flavokawains A and B in Kava, Not Dihydromethysticin, Potentiate Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in C57BL/6 Mice”. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 27 (10): 1871–1876. doi:10.1021/tx5003194. PMC 4203398. PMID 25185080.