Kavain (Kav)

Kavain has anticonvulsive properties, attenuating vascular smooth muscle contraction through interactions with voltage-dependent Na+ and Ca2+ channels. How this effect is mediated and to what extent this mechanism is involved in the anxiolytic and analgesic effects of kavalactones on the central nervous system is unknown. Kavain's pharmacological activities have not been sufficiently investigated and neither its effect as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor nor its monoamine (norepinephrine) uptake inhibitions and activation of NMDA receptors have been confirmed. The mechanism behind the psychotropic, sedative and anxiolytic actions of kavain and related kavalactones is still debated. Direct binding to the GABAA receptor (benzodiazepine-receptor) does not occur with kavain enantiomers. Many studies involved kava extracts from different plant parts and are therefore not applicable to kavain itself.