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7,8-Dihydroxyflavone

Naturally occurring flavonoid that selectively activates TrkB — the BDNF receptor — and acts as an orally available BDNF mimetic. | Compound

Aliases (4)
7 · 8-DHF · Tropoflavin · R7
TYPICAL DOSE
10-30 mg orally per day
ROUTE
—
CYCLE
—
STORAGE
—
✎
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▸ Overview TL;DR

Naturally occurring flavonoid that selectively activates TrkB — the BDNF receptor — and acts as an orally available BDNF mimetic. Heavy preclinical literature for neuroprotection, depression, Alzheimer's, TBI; no published human RCTs. Speculative addition for Dylan's MMA-impact-protection thesis but bioavailability problems and absence of human data keep it low priority until prodrug forms are accessible.

▸ Mechanism of action
  • BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is the master neurotrophin for synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival, and recovery from injury — but BDNF protein doesn't cross the BBB.
  • 7,8-DHF binds and dimerizes TrkB receptors, triggering downstream PI3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk pathways — mimicking endogenous BDNF signaling.
  • Effects: enhanced LTP, neurogenesis support, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity.
  • Discovered by Keqiang Ye's lab (Emory) via screening.
  • Limitation: ~5% oral bioavailability in rodents; rapid glucuronidation. Prodrug analogs (R-13, R7) under development to address this.
▸ Pharmacokinetics No data
Pharmacokinetics data not available for this compound.
No half-life mentions found in the source notes.
▸ What to expect Generic
  1. 1
    Week 1
    Tolerability and dose-response.
  2. 2
    Week 2-4
    Early effect window.
  3. 3
    Week 4-8
    Peak benefit assessment.
  4. 4
    Week 8+
    Cycle decision point.
▸ Side effects + safety
  • Common (>10%): Sparse data; mild GI upset reported in some users at higher doses.
  • Less common (1-10%): Headache, mild fatigue, vivid dreams.
  • Rare-serious (<1%): Theoretical concern for chronic TrkB overactivation (long-term safety unknown in humans). Cancer risk theoretical (BDNF/TrkB signaling implicated in some tumor proliferation) but unconfirmed at supplement doses.
  • Specific watch periods: Long-term safety completely uncharacterized in humans.
▸References5 sources

Jang et al. (2010), PNAS

2010

original TrkB agonist characterization.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govView →

Agrawal et al. (2015), J Cereb Blood Flow Metab

2015

TBI model improvements.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govView →

Liu et al. (2013), Mol Med

2013

depression model efficacy.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govView →

Devi & Ohno (2012), Neuropsychopharmacology

2012

AD mouse cognitive rescue.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govView →

Examine.com — 7,8-DHF

evidence summary.

examine.comView →
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