7,8-Dihydroxyflavone, also known as 7,8-DHF, and tropoflavin, is a natural flavone found in many different plant species (Godmania aesculifolia, Tridax procumbens, and Primula halleri leaves) which has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and has many benefits to the brain and cognitive function. It selectively binds to a receptor called tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and mimics the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Activation of the TrkB receptor exhibits neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative effects. In animal models, 7,8-DHF has been shown to promote the growth of dendrites, and help restore communication between neurons in the brain.
“Flavonoids, apigenin and luteolin, prevent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced astrocyte activation and inhibit the production of interleukin (IL)-31 and IL-33 through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways to play a neuroprotective role.”
In animal models, 7,8-DHF has shown positive benefits in many disorders of the central nervous system such as depression, anxiety disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Huntington’s, and TBI’s to name a few. It has also shown benefits in age related cognitive impairment, helping to improve memory consolidation.
“After a 3-week treatment with 7,8-DHF, irradiation-induced impairment of spatial memory, episodic memory, and working memory in mice was reversed.”
7,8-DHF is a strong antioxidant, it can help protect the brain against oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
7,8-DHF also has anti-inflammatory properties, particularly in the central nervous system (microglial cells and macrophages).
“The improvement of learning and memory function by 7,8-DHF is the combined effect of protecting synaptic structural integrity, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neuronal apoptosis”
Another mechanism in which 7,8-DHF may function is through changing the gut microbiome.
There are also studies on 7,8-DHF and PTSD. It has been studied for its effect on fear memory extinction. There aren’t many effective drug options for those with PTSD. Studies have shown that 7,8-DHF can improve the fear memory deficit or accelerate the extinction of fear memory, which indicates that 7,8-DHF is likely to be a candidate drug for the treatment of PTSD.
Epilepsy is another condition that may be helped by the use of 7,8-DHF. In rats, studies showed that a lower dose was more effective than a higher dose at controlling seizures.
Another area where 7,8-DHF may serve as a potential candidate, is for treating alcoholism. Administration of exogenous 7,8-DHF attenuated alcohol-related behaviour in rats but again the research needs to be done on humans to see if results are similar.
7,8-DHF may even benefit those with osteoporosis as it was found to help modulate bone formation and resorption.
“…the present study evaluates the potential of 7,8-DHF as a novel dual regulator for bone formation and bone resorption. We found that 7,8-DHF promoted osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation through the TrkB-Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and inhibited osteoclastogenesis at the same time. Furthermore, 7,8-DHF could alleviate osteoporosis phenotypes, enhance mechanical properties, and ameliorate bone remodeling in OVX rat. Notably, 7,8-DHF is orally bioactive and is safe for chronic treatment. Hence, it acts as a good compound for further medicinal application to maximize its therapeutic properties toward various bone disorders, especially postmenopausal osteoporosis.”
Other research has even looked at the combination of 7,8-DHF and liraglutide which showed benefits in vision. Again, it was a rat study so more work is needed, but all these things look promising.
So, if you are generally healthy, you could use 7,8-DHF to improve learning and memory, to recover from a TBI, or for it’s neuroprotective and regenerative effects in general. If you are worried about Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or have been diagnosed with these diseases it may be something you can speak with your doctor about.
As mentioned above, most of these benefits have been seen in animal models so more research on humans is needed.
The most common dosage capsules of 7,8-DHF come in is 10-30mg. When taking the dosages from rats and applying to humans, it worked out to be about 1mg / kg for chronic usage and 2.5mg / kg for acute dosing.
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