Happy #moleculemoday! This molecule was a fan request and it's starting to show up in a lot of newer products. It's called amentoflavone and it has some really interesting properties. It's found in a number of botanical species such as ginkgo biloba and St. John's wort. With respect to bodybuilding, amentoflavone acts as a vasodilator. It's mechanism of action, however is very unique. It acts as a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, specifically inhibiting the breakdown of cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP). cAMP is a messenger/signaling molecule used to help get hormones such as adrenaline across the plasma membrane. cAMP also activates protein kinases(enzymes that phosphorylate molecules) that are responsible for lipid metabolism(breaking down fat for energy). It also helps activate Ca2+ ion channels that have been shown to release growth hormone!! Another study showed that amentoflavone relaxes vascular smooth muscle via an endothelium-dependent pathway to release NO! So as you can see, amentoflavone has some very interesting properties, varying from increased fat breakdown to vasodilation, which may also increase the body's ability to get nutrients into muscle cells! Unfortunately, as with most bioflavonoids, absorption is an issue. I recommend adding Bioperine to increase bioavailability. Amentoflavone works very well with citrulline for crazy pumps bc of its different mechanism. #musclechem
