Chrysin, also called 5,7-dihydroxyflavone,
[ is a ]flavone
Flavone is an organic compound with the formula . A white solid, flavone is a derivative of chromone with a phenyl (Ph) substituent adjacent to the ether group. The compound is of little direct practical importance, but substituted derivatives, ...
found in honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
, propolis
Propolis or bee glue is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the beehive. Pro ...
, the passion flower
''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae.
''Passiflora'' species are widely cultivated for their striking flowers, fla ...
s, '' Passiflora caerulea'' and ''Passiflora incarnata
''Passiflora incarnata'', commonly known as maypop, purple passionflower, true passionflower, wild apricot, and wild passion vine, is a fast-growing Perennial plant, perennial vine with climbing or trailing stems. A member of the passionflower ge ...
'', and in '' Oroxylum indicum''.[ It is ]extract
An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered.
The aromatic principles of ma ...
ed from various plants, such as the blue passion flower (''Passiflora caerulea'').[ Following oral intake by humans, chrysin has low ]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 ...
and rapid excretion
Excretion is elimination of metabolic waste, which is an essential process in all organisms. In vertebrates, this is primarily carried out by the lungs, Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substa ...
.[ It is under ]basic research
Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenome ...
to evaluate its safety and potential biological effects.[
Chrysin is an ingredient in ]dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
s. As of 2016, there was no clinical use of chrysin,[ and no evidence for its effect on ]testosterone
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...
levels. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
did not recommend chrysin be included on the list of bulk drug substances that can be used in compounding
In the field of pharmacy, compounding (performed in compounding pharmacies) is preparation of custom medications to fit unique needs of patients that cannot be met with mass-produced formulations. This may be done, for example, to provide medic ...
under section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (abbreviated as FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C) is a set of laws passed by the United States Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the food safety ...
.
Occurrence
A component in various medicinal plants
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...
(e.g. '' Scutellaria baicalensis''), chrysin is a dihydroxyflavone, a type of flavonoid
Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans.
Chemically, flavonoids ...
.[ It is also found in ]honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
, propolis
Propolis or bee glue is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the beehive. Pro ...
, the passion flower
''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae.
''Passiflora'' species are widely cultivated for their striking flowers, fla ...
s, '' Passiflora caerulea'' and ''Passiflora incarnata
''Passiflora incarnata'', commonly known as maypop, purple passionflower, true passionflower, wild apricot, and wild passion vine, is a fast-growing Perennial plant, perennial vine with climbing or trailing stems. A member of the passionflower ge ...
'', in '' Oroxylum indicum'', carrots,[ ]chamomile
Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, '' Matricaria chamomilla'' and '' Chamaemelum nobile'', are commo ...
, many fruits, and in mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the n ...
s, such as the mushroom ''Pleurotus ostreatus
''Pleurotus ostreatus'' (commonly known the oyster mushroom, grey oyster mushroom, oyster fungus, hiratake, or pearl oyster mushroom). Found in temperate and subtropical forests around the world, it is a popular edible mushroom.
Name
Both th ...
''.[ It is ]extract
An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered.
The aromatic principles of ma ...
ed from various plants,[ such as the blue passion flower (''Passiflora caerulea'').]
The amount of chrysin in honey from various plant sources is about 0.2 mg per 100 g. Chrysin is typically found at higher amounts in propolis than in honey. A 2010 study found the amount of chrysin was 0.10 mg/kg in honeydew honey, and 5.3 mg/kg in forest honeys. A 2010 study found the amount of chrysin in propolis was as much as 28 g/L.[ A 2013 study found the amount of chrysin in various mushrooms from the island of Lesvos, Greece, varied between 0.17 mg/kg in '' Lactarius deliciosus'' to 0.34 mg/kg in '' Suillus bellinii''.][
]
Bioavailability
The effects of chrysin are reliant on its 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 ...
and solubility
In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a chemical substance, substance, the solute, to form a solution (chemistry), solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form su ...
.[ Following oral intake by humans, chrysin has low bioavailability and rapid ]excretion
Excretion is elimination of metabolic waste, which is an essential process in all organisms. In vertebrates, this is primarily carried out by the lungs, Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substa ...
.[ As a result, it is poorly absorbed.][
A 1998 study determined that the highest amounts in plasma was from 12 to 64 nM.][ As of 2015, the serum levels of chrysin have not been cited in the literature.][ Following oral intake by humans, the bioavailability was reported to be from 0.003% to 0.02%.][
]
Oral and topical application
There is insufficient information to determine how long chrysin has been used in pharmacy compounding
In the field of pharmacy, compounding (performed in compounding pharmacies) is preparation of custom medications to fit unique needs of patients that cannot be met with mass-produced formulations. This may be done, for example, to provide medic ...
. Chrysin is used as an ingredient in dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
s, but there is no information on systemic exposure from topical application
A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...
. As of 2016, there was no evidence to support any effect of oral chrysin on testosterone
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...
levels, or an any disease-modifying activity with oral or topical formulations.
Safety
A daily consumed amount of chrysin of 0.5 to 3 g is considered safe. As of 2016, there was no toxicity attributable to chrysin in clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
s or adverse event
In pharmaceuticals, an adverse event (AE) is any unexpected or harmful medical occurrence that happens to a patient during medical treatment or a clinical trial. Unlike direct side effects, an adverse event does not necessarily mean the medicati ...
reporting. As of 2016, clinical safety issues have not been identified. As of 2016, nonclinical data suggest potential concerns. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
did not recommend chrysin be included on the list of bulk drug substances that can be used in compounding under section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (abbreviated as FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C) is a set of laws passed by the United States Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the food safety ...
based on consideration of the following criteria: (1) physicochemical characterization; (2) safety; (3) effectiveness; and (4) historical use of the substance in compounding.
Research
As of 2016, there is no evidence for chrysin being used in human clinical applications.[ Research showed that orally administered chrysin does not have clinical activity as an ]aromatase
Aromatase (), also called estrogen synthetase or estrogen synthase, is an enzyme responsible for a key step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. It is CYP19A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which are monooxygenases that catalyze man ...
inhibitor.
Nanoformulations of polyphenol
Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring phenols. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of which have been used historically as ...
s, including chrysin, are made using various carrier methods, such as liposome
A liposome is a small artificial vesicle, spherical in shape, having at least one lipid bilayer. Due to their hydrophobicity and/or hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, particle size and many other properties, liposomes can be used as drug deliver ...
s and nanocapsules.
Bibliography
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References
{{Xenobiotic-sensing receptor modulators
Aromatase inhibitors
Flavones
Flavonoids found in Asteraceae
Resorcinols