Flavokawain A, Cancer, and SKP2 Mechanisms in vivo

[FijiFreshKava]

A nature article was published this week describing how flavokawain A (FKA, a chalcone found in kava) interacts with S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2), which is known to play a key role in cancer progression and metastasis. The major finding was that FKA exerts its anti-metastatic effect in osteosarcoma by suppressing SKP2.

Notable points from the article:
FKA is minimally toxic to healthy tissues and organs.
SKP2 over-expression is associated with increased cancer progression, metastasis, and poorer survival rates in multiple cancers.
SKP2 inhibition is associated with improved outcomes.
Experimental Knockdown (gene therapy) of SKP2 is associated with improved cancer survival in vivo and in vitro.
FKA was demonstrated to inhibit SKP2 in vivo and in vitro.

This figure in the article was striking.

 

[verticity]

This is cool. The dosage in that figure, 200 mg per kg of body weight, is massive and much larger than you could get from drinking kava beverage, which only contains minute amounts of FKA. But it looks like this could eventually lead to new kinds of chemotherapy using flavokavains, which would have to be in a highly concentrated and purified form: pharmaceutical drugs.

Another thing they would need to study when developing a therapy like that is what the effect of massively inhibiting SKP2 would be on healthy people. It looks like they do know that SKP2 is over expressed in cancer cells, and that inhibiting it can kill (or at least inhibit the growth of) the cancer cells, but it is also naturally expressed and plays some role in healthy cells, so it is possible that SKP2 inhibitor would have some side effects, even if not directly toxic to tissues... I'm definitely not an expert on this stuff, but a quick Google search for "SKP2 inhibitors" pops up lots of current research, but no actual drugs that are currently available... So in other words, I don't know if anyone has tested a SKP2 inhibitor drug for adverse effects in a clinical trial or sold such a drug on the market... Someone please correct me if I'm missing something.

So, yes this is cool, cutting-edge research that could ultimately lead to new cancer therapies derived from chemicals found in kava. But, no it is not really evidence that drinking kava will cure or treat cancer. I know you didn't claim that at all, just wanted to explicitly state it so people don't get carried away drawing conclusions from studies like this...

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

A key thing to keep in mind though , is that it has synergy power behind it when drinking kava, thousands of chemicals are working together and could bring that much higher and much safer.

 

[FijiFreshKava]

This is cool. But, no it is not really evidence that drinking kava will cure or treat cancer. I know you didn't claim that at all, just wanted to explicitly state it so people don't get carried away drawing conclusions from studies like this...

100% agree with you there. I was trying to be careful about the wording specifically for that reason, because I hate when scientific results get taken out of context. But the fact that they are able to pinpoint specific mechanisms for how FKA disrupts the spread of cancer...that's interesting stuff.

A key thing to keep in mind though , is that it has synergy power behind it when drinking kava, thousands of chemicals are working together and could bring that much higher and much safer.

I was talking with a researcher who does pharmaceutical development and testing. One of the things that often happens with plant derived drugs is that first, there is an effort to isolate a specific chemical, but the trials tend to underperform because the original effects are caused in part by several compounds working together.

 

[Alia]

A nature article was published this week describing how flavokawain A (FKA, a chalcone found in kava) interacts with S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2), which is known to play a key role in cancer progression and metastasis. The major finding was that FKA exerts its anti-metastatic effect in osteosarcoma by suppressing SKP2.

Notable points from the article:
FKA is minimally toxic to healthy tissues and organs.
SKP2 over-expression is associated with increased cancer progression, metastasis, and poorer survival rates in multiple cancers.
SKP2 inhibition is associated with improved outcomes.
Experimental Knockdown (gene therapy) of SKP2 is associated with improved cancer survival in vivo and in vitro.
FKA was demonstrated to inhibit SKP2 in vivo and in vitro.

This figure in the article was striking.
View attachment 9559

Thank you for finding, and posting, this! It has been hinted at for awhile and even mentioned in 2005 by Zi and Simoneau -- FKA "selectively kill" cancer cells (Cancer Research 65:3479-3486). Now that could be a "cure" to some extent. But, regular consumption of aqueous kava may "inhibit the growth of cancer cells via a novel calcium dependent mechanism". This according to an on-going study within the University of Hawai'i and Chaminade University system. The "calcium-dependent mechanism" could not be duplicated in kava extracts and pills, but only in the whole aqueous beverage.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

And also that the more they strained the beverage ( less particular matter) the less effective it became.
So the more sediment and thick the kava is the more anti cancer... now imagine a super clean isolated chemical ... not going to do the trick then

That's the biggest issue with these scientific studies as Fiji fresh points out.

 

[Palmetto]

The cancer patient I know that was taking heavier kavas for more DHM/ FKs has stopped taking kava, because it was not as effective as standard chemo drugs, such as adriamycin and doxorubicin. That being said, it was a learning process, and what we did learn was that instead of negative cross reactions with chemo drugs, there seems to be more of a synergy, e.g. don't stop taking the kava for a while when you get the chemo. Take them both concurrently to get the advantages of the synergy. One of the main advantages of kava is that there are virtually no long term adverse effects, if taken properly, whereas most chemo drugs cause permanent damage to one or more critical organs. I believe that the synergistic advantages of concurrent kava consumption during radiation therapy would be even more efficacious than kava and chemo, as far as synergy is concerned. Unfortunately, I've floated the idea past several RadOncs I've worked with, but no takers yet.

 

[Krunkie McKrunkface]

The cancer patient I know that was taking heavier kavas for more DHM/ FKs has stopped taking kava, because it was not as effective as standard chemo drugs, such as adriamycin and doxorubicin. That being said, it was a learning process, and what we did learn was that instead of negative cross reactions with chemo drugs, there seems to be more of a synergy, e.g. don't stop taking the kava for a while when you get the chemo. Take them both concurrently to get the advantages of the synergy. One of the main advantages of kava is that there are virtually no long term adverse effects, if taken properly, whereas most chemo drugs cause permanent damage to one or more critical organs. I believe that the synergistic advantages of concurrent kava consumption during radiation therapy would be even more efficacious than kava and chemo, as far as synergy is concerned. Unfortunately, I've floated the idea past several RadOncs I've worked with, but no takers yet.

I'll be happy to give reports. I am soon to have radiation. Haven't determned yet if I also do hormone therapy and chemo, but that is more likely than not. I've been drinking kava every step of the way so far, including a mess of procedures and surgeries. So far so good with the kava. It's much better than anything else, IMO. It's been a real heaven-sent gift.

To be sure, I do not think for one second that in my case kava could or would prevent or cure it in any way. Mine is genetically based, anyway. But kava helps in a million other ways. Plus it just plain feels good. Bula.