Flavokavain B
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flavokavain B is a flavokavain found in the kava plant.[1]
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| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name
2′-Hydroxy-4′,6′-dimethoxychalcone | |
| Other names
Flavokawain B | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| 2059845 | |
| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C17H16O4 | |
| Molar mass | 284.311 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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A systematic review of studies on kava found evidence that its bioactive compounds, particularly flavokavain 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 is a potent liver toxin that causes cell death by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting key cellular signaling pathways, but its harmful effects can be reversed by glutathione supplementation.[3] Studies show that flavokavain B is present at much higher levels in “Two-Day” kava cultivars like Palisi compared to noble varieties, but current evidence does not conclusively prove it is responsible for kava-related liver toxicity in humans.[4]
