Ampelopsin, also known as dihydromyricetin and DHM, when purported as an effective ingredient in supplements and other tonics, is a
flavanonol, 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''; ''
Hovenia dulcis''; ''
Rhododendron cinnabarinum
''Rhododendron cinnabarinum'' (朱砂杜鹃) is a rhododendron species native to eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, southeastern Tibet, and southwest China, where it grows at altitudes of . It is a straggling evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a ...
''; some ''
Pinus'' species; and some ''
Cedrus'' species,
as well as in ''
Salix sachalinensis''.
''
Hovenia dulcis'' has been used in traditional
Japanese,
Chinese, and
Korean medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as a
hangover 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 inflammasome activation via stimulation of the
SIRT1 pathway.
In a trial of 60 patients with "
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease," 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.
Dihydromyricetin shows poor
bioavailability 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