Ampelopsin, also known as dihydromyricetin and DHM, when purported as an effective ingredient in supplements and other tonics, is a

flavanonol The flavanonols (with two "o"s a.k.a. 3-hydroxyflavanone or 2,3-dihydroflavonol) are a class of flavonoids that use the 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-2-phenylchromen-4-one (IUPAC name) backbone. Some examples include: * Taxifolin (or Dihydroquercetin) * ...

, a type of flavonoid. It is extracted from the Japanese raisin tree and found in ''

Ampelopsis ''Ampelopsis'', commonly known as peppervine or porcelainberry, is a genus of climbing shrubs, in the grape family Vitaceae. The name is derived from the grc, ἅμπελος (''ampelos''), which means "vine". The genus was named in 1803. It is ...

'' species ''japonica'', ''megalophylla'', and ''grossedentata''; ''

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ''Cercidiphyllum japonicum'', known as the katsura (from its Japanese name カツラ, 桂), is a species of flowering tree in the family Cercidiphyllaceae native to China and Japan. It is sometimes called ''caramel tree'' for the light caramel s ...

''; ''

Hovenia dulcis ''Hovenia dulcis'', the Japanese raisin tree or oriental raisin tree, is a hardy tree found in Asia, from Eastern China ( 萬壽果; pinyin: wànshòuguǒ) and Korea (헛개나무, ''heotgae namu'') to the Himalayas (up to altitudes of 2,000 m), ...

''; '' Rhododendron cinnabarinum''; some ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

'' species; and some ''

Cedrus ''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae (subfamily Abietoideae). They are native plant, native to the mountains of the western Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altit ...

'' species, as well as in ''

Salix sachalinensis ''Salix udensis'' (syn. ''S. sachalinensis'' F.Schmidt) is a species of willow native to northeastern Asia, in eastern Siberia (including Kamchatka), northeastern China, and northern Japan. It is a deciduous shrub growing to tall. The leaves ar ...

''. ''

'' has been used in traditional

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

, and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as a

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...

treatment. Methods have been developed to extract ampelopsin on a larger scale, and laboratory research has been conducted with the compound to see if it might be useful as a drug in any of the conditions for which the parent plant has been traditionally used.

Research

Research suggests that DHM protects against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting

NLRP3 NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) (previously known as NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 ALP3and cryopyrin), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NLRP3'' gene located on the long arm of chromosome 1. NLRP3 is ...

inflammasome activation via stimulation of the

SIRT1 Sirtuin 1, also known as NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SIRT1 gene. SIRT1 stands for sirtuin (silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog) 1 (''S. cerevisiae''), referring to the fact t ...

pathway. In a trial of 60 patients with "

nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is excessive fat build-up in the liver without another clear cause such as alcohol use. There are two types; non-alcoholic f ...

," dihydromyricetin improved glucose and lipid metabolism and yielded potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effects. A study of rats demonstrated pharmacological properties of DHM which suggest it would be a therapeutic candidate to treat

alcohol use disorders Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

. Dihydromyricetin shows poor

bioavailability In pharmacology, bioavailability is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction (%) of an administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation. By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. H ...

which limits its potential medicinal applications. Additional research is required before claims of human efficacy and application, necessary dosage, and solutions to poor bioavailability, are met with scientific validation.

References

{{GABAAR PAMs Flavanonols Pyrogallols Resorcinols GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators