Apigenin : A proposed research target for amelioration of ME/CFS symptoms

[mariovitali]

I would like to share a post from my blog that involves Apigenin. The software i use identifies it as an interesting research target. Apigenin can be found in chamomile tea and parsley.

Some interesting excerpts, possibly relevant to PwME :

-Significantly decreased insulin resistance, blood glucose

-Significantly decreased inflammation by inactivating NF-kB and reducing pro-inflammatory mediators such as MCP-1, TNF-α and IL-6

-Decreased hepatomegaly and lipid droplets, indicating beneficial effects on NAFLD.

-Decreased plasma free fatty levels

-DAVID Functional annotation clustering identified that the majority of hepatic genes regulated by apigenin in HFD-fed mice were related to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the electron transport chain, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis.

-Increased genes that facilitate fatty acid oxidation

Original post :

http://algogenomics.blogspot.com/2019/01/apigenin-proposed-research-target-for.html

 

[Hip]

I tried an apigenin supplement 50 to 100 mg daily for a week or so on several occasions some years ago.

Looking at my notes, nothing spectacular was observed, although my general comments about how I was feeling while taking apigenin were more positive rather than negative (lots of drugs and supplements make me feel worse, and then I will report negative findings).

In dried parsley, you get 45 mg of apigenin per gram, according to this article.

Dried parsley costs around £15 per kg, so a 45 mg dose of apigenin from dried parsley would cost 1.5 pence. So definitely not expensive.


Unfortunately apigenin's bioavailability is low, so benefits seen in vitro may be difficult to achieve in vivo.

 

[Wishful]

I tried apigenin ( mg capsules) too and it seemed to provide a slight but noticeable reduction in my brainfog, but no other benefits. It was enough of a benefit to make me buy another two bottles, but some time during the second bottle, I no longer noticed any benefit. I still have half a bottle, and try a few capsules once in a while, with no noticeable effects. So, take from that experience whatever you wish.

 

[mariovitali]

@Hip @Wishful

Thank you for your feedback. I wanted to ask you, were you taking / trying anything else at the same time or apigenin was the only supplement you were using?

 

[Hip]

were you taking / trying anything else at the same time or apigenin was the only supplement you were using?

I was taking lots of other things with it.

 

[wigglethemouse]

@mariovitali I noticed on Amazon that Swanson Apigenin is derived from grapefruit.

@BeautifulDay initiated this thread on the energy benefits she found from Grapefruit. Unfortunately unable to continue as grapefruit has other effects. Maybe there is some connection?
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/ind...l-coenzyme-q10-well-see-about-tomorrow.57751/

 

[uglevod]

Apigenin seems to be yet another anti inflammatory(immune suppressive) drug acting via TLR4(LPS induced inflammation) way:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29890216

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576915002532
Apigenin protects blood–brain barrier and ameliorates early brain injury by inhibiting TLR4-mediated inflammatory pathway in subarachnoid hemorrhage rats.

Flavonoid Apigenin Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Response through Multiple Mechanisms in Macrophages
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0107072

Apigenin:

-Significantly decreased insulin resistance, blood glucose
-Significantly decreased inflammation by inactivating NF-kB and reducing pro-inflammatory mediators such as MCP-1, TNF-α and IL-6
-Decreased hepatomegaly and lipid droplets, indicating beneficial effects on NAFLD.
-Decreased plasma free fatty levels

^ Its just a consequence of TLR4 suppression. You can take any other drug, starting with metformin(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28791487) and get exactly the same result.

 

[Wishful]

@mariovitali , I wasn't taking any other supplements regularly at the time. I wasn't even taking cumin as a PEM blocker then, just a single dose of T2 or iodine every 21 days. I hadn't found anything else worth taking.

Whatever its mechanism was, it seemed to only reduce a single symptom, rather than ME/CFS as a whole.

 

[mariovitali]

@wigglethemouse

I think that the problem of grapefruit is the fact that it is a P450 inhibitor. Back in 2011 when i started analyzing my symptoms, one of the first things i discovered was that P450 inhibitors were inducing my symptoms.

@uglevod

I think that Apigenin is more than just TLR4 inhibition. Note the entries on OXPHOS and TCA cycle in the post.

In any case, i do understand that it hasn't worked wonders in people that tried it but there was some kind of a positive effect.

 

[Hip]

In any case, i do understand that it hasn't worked wonders in people that tried it but there was some kind of a positive effect.

It's possible that with higher doses more benefits might manifest. I used doses up to 100 mg, but it might be interesting to try say 500 mg of apigenin, which would correspond to 11 grams of dried parsley (dried parsley is very cheap, costing around 1.5 pence per gram).

 

[Omgitsremy89]

Ive been getting a slight benefit in fatigue, and brain fog by drinking parley tea. Hip mentions the bioavailability problem, hence why I think the tea really helps. I can make a really strong brew by simmering fresh parsley with ginger in water for 10 minutes. Sometimes it helps my sleep quite a bit.

Overall it seems like a healthy thing to do long term, and benefits may pay dividends overtime.

 

[Omgitsremy89]

I think the reason is benefits sleep is because it balances gaba / glutamate. I notice my tremors almost completely go away when I drink it.

 

[MonkeyMan]

I think the reason is benefits sleep is because it balances gaba / glutamate.

Interesting!
As I've posted elsewhere, this particular apigenin supplement has made a huge, positive difference in how well I sleep. I believe the dose is considerably larger than most available apigenin supplements. Sadly, it hasn't had a noticeable impact on my ME/CFS itself.
P.S. I have no financial interest in or connection to this company.