Grow Taller with Sophorae Beans(Quercetin)

Due to abundant evidence that inhibiting Wnt and Beta-Catenin can cause ectopic chondrogenesis and our goal is to form new growth plates.  I am recommending quercetin as a beta-catenin inhibitor.  However, an analysis of the processes altered by axial loading revealed that axial loading may be able to induce ectopic chondrogenesis but just not full integrate them into growth plates.  Wnt and Beta-Catenin are essential for growth plates but mainly in the hypertrophic stage.  Given that the hypertrophic stage is the predominant determinant of adult height you should not take Quercetin if you have active growth plates.

First, you should do LSJL without taking Quercetin and measure height.  Then you cycle off for 1-2 weeks(and all supplements) after 2-3 weeks to allow to regain osteocyte sensitivity which are crucially involved in regulating the growth plates.  You measure bone length increase.  Then you take quercetin on the next LSJL cycle after you have established a baseline to see if Quercetin has any impact on gains.  After the first Quercetin LSJL cycle you can try doubling the dose since higher dosages may further inhibit Beta-Catenin.  Evidence of Quercetin Toxicity has been found after two years but cycling may prevent that.

Quercetin: Jarrow Formulas Quercetin 500mg, 100 Capsules

TGF-Beta and IGF-1 help encourage stem cell differentiation into chondrocytes.  The goal of LSJL is to induce stem cell differentiation into chondrocytes in order to form a kind of mini-growth plate.  Sophorae Beans, although this may be mostly due to Quercetin, increase TGF-Beta and IGF-1 levels.  Of course, we're not sure if it competes with other supplements(if you are taking a particular other supplement will that mean that Sophorae Beans will have no effect?).  Or, if there's a negative feedback mechanism associated with the increase in TGF-Beta and IGF-1 levels.  Do Sophorae Beans(or Quercetin) have to be cycled?

Here's an example of a Sophorae Fructus supplement: FRUCTUS SOPHORAE Gentlex Pill (HUAI JIAO) 250mg X 100 pills per bottle

Isoflavones extracted from Sophorae fructus upregulate IGF-I and TGF-beta and inhibit osteoclastogenesis in rat bone marrow cells.

"Isoflavones have been a central subject in research on the natural phytoestrogens found in Leguminosae. [Isoflavones] can act like estrogen by binding on estrogen receptors on the target cell surface{so when seeing if other supplements have competing effects we want to look at other supplements that act on estrogen receptors particularly other isoflavones, ideally an isaflovone would bind to an estrogen receptor and mimic the pro-height components while blocking the anti-height components of some estrogen compounds.}. When estrogen is no longer produced in the body a remarkable bone remodeling process occurs, and the associated events are regulated by growth factors in the osteoblast lineage. In the present study, we investigated whether isoflavones (Isocal) extracted from Sophorae fructus affect the growth factors IGF-I and TGF-beta that have been known to be related with bone formation. The active control (PIII) effectively enhanced the level of nitric oxide (NO) and growth factors, and thereby inhibited osteoclastogenesis. The most efficient concentration was 10(-8)% within five days, whereas the comparative control (soybean isoflavone) was not as effective even at a lower concentration. In conclusion, the products which contain enriched glucosidic isoflavone and nutrient supplements such as shark cartilage and calcium can be used for osteoporosis therapy by enhancing the production of IGF-I and TGF-beta. Furthermore, the NO produced through endothelial constitutive NO synthase (ecNOS) may play a role in inhibiting bone reabsorption."

So Sophorae Beans can help you grow taller by increasing levels of IGF-1 and TGF-Beta both in active growth plates or if trying to form a new growth plate with LSJL.  This depends of course on you not taking any supplements that compete with the same pathways as Sophorae Beans and the effect of Sophorae Beans not diminishing over time.

Simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic study of six flavonoids from Fructus Sophorae extract in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS.

"six flavonoids including sophoricoside, genistin, genistein, rutin, quercetin and kaempferol [were elevated] in rat plasma after oral administration of Fructus Sophorae extract"<-you may want to take sophorae without the genistein.

Quercetin can increase Sox9.

The effect of quercetin on expression of SOX9 and subsequent release of type II collagen in spheno-occipital synchondroses of organ-cultured mice.

"A total of 50 one-day-old male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. Each group was subdivided into five different time points, which were 6, 24, 48, 72, and 168 hours, and each subgroup contained 5 mice. In the experimental group, the spheno-occipital synchondrosis was immersed in the BGJb medium + quercetin dihydrate 1 µM. In the control group, the spheno-occipital synchondrosis was immersed in the BGJb medium. Tissue sections were subjected to immunohistochemical staining for SOX9 and type II collagen expressions.

Quantitative analysis revealed there was a statistically significant increase of 32.31% in the expression of SOX9 between experimental groups and control groups at 24 hours. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant increase of 22.99% in the expression of type II collagen between experimental groups and control groups at 72 hours."

"some minor inhibition of stromelysin expression occurred at 10 uM concentrations of quercetin, this was accompanied by an even larger inhibition of proteoglycan expression." according to The antioxidants curcumin and quercetin inhibit inflammatory processes associated with arthritis., quercetin may have a minimal effect on inflammatory pathways.  And there was no inhibition of proteoglycan at 1 miroM.

quercetin does not inhibit MMP-13 production furthering the theory that it has low effect on inflammatory pathways.

Quercetin is the compound that is most likely to be anabolic and height increasing thus you may want to only take that.

Quercetin may also be a beta-catenin inhibition and beta-catenin inhibition can cause ectopic chondrogenesis.

Isoquercitrin isolated from Hyptis fasciculata reduces glioblastoma cell proliferation and changes beta-catenin cellular localization.

"nuclear beta-catenin staining observed in a subpopulation of untreated Gbm cells was found in the cytoplasm after 100-micromol/l isoquercitrin treatment"

"The flavonoid isoquercitrin (quercetin 3-O-[beta]-D-glucopyranoside), which is typically found in onions, is a quercetin moiety with a glucose molecule on C3 of the flavonoidic nucleus "

"When 100 µmol/l of isoquercitrin was added to Gbm cells, nuclear [beta]-catenin staining dramatically decreased to 4%, while non-nuclear staining increased to 77%"

"The decrease in nuclear [beta]-catenin is consistent with a decrease in Wnt/[beta]-catenin signaling activity."

Comparison of Quercetin Pharmacokinetics Following Oral Supplementation in Humans.

"[What's] the absorption of quercetin aglycone in 18 healthy human subjects administered via the following oral carrier systems: suspension of quercetin (quercetin QU995 powder in Tang(®) and spring water), nutritional bars (First Strike™), and chews (RealFX™ Q-Plus™)?"

Subjects received 500 mg Quercetin.

"The C(max) of quercetin was highest with RealFX™ Q-Plus™ Chews (1051.9 ± 393.1 μg/L) achieved within 3.3 h as compared to that for First Strike™ Bars (698.1 ± 189.5 μg/L in 2.3 h) and Tang(®) suspension (354.4 ± 87.6 μg/L in 4.7 h). "

The molecular weight of quercetin is 302.24.  So in the previous study 30224 ug/L was found to reduce beta-catenin localization to 4%.  

Onions, buck wheat tea, and Apple Sauce were other food sources of Quercetin.

Toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of quercetin, a natural component of foods.

"Quercetin is a naturally occurring chemical found in our daily diet in fruits and vegetables. Toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of quercetin were conducted in male and female F344/N rats, under conditions which allowed comparison to results of approximately 400 previously tested chemicals. The chemical was administered in the feed for 2-years at concentrations of 0, 1000, 10,000, or 40,000 ppm, and the estimated dose delivered was approximately 40-1900 mg/kg/day. There were no treatment-related effects on survival and no treatment-related clinical signs of toxicity. The high-dose groups had reduced body weight gain in comparison to controls during the last half of the study. At interim evaluations at 6 and 15 months, treatment-related toxic lesions were not observed, but at 2 years toxic and neoplastic lesions were seen in the kidney of male rats, including increased severity of chronic nephropathy, hyperplasia, and neoplasia of the renal tubular epithelium. Under the conditions of these 2-year studies quercetin showed carcinogenic activity in the kidney of the male rat, causing primarily benign tumors of the renal tubular epithelium. Quercetin did not cause tumors at other sites. Quercetin is a genotoxic chemical, but the neoplastic response observed in the kidney may be due in part to a combination of nongenotoxic and genotoxic events."<-If you cycle of Quercetin you likely can avoid these effects.

Attenuation of Chondrogenic Transformation in Vascular Smooth Muscle by Dietary Quercetin in the MGP-Deficient Mouse Model.

"Cartilaginous metaplasia of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) is characteristic for arterial calcification in diabetes and uremia and in the background of genetic alterations in matrix Gla protein (MGP){maybe specific removal of MGP can allow for ectopic chondrogesis in the bone?}.
This study aimed to identify the effects of bioflavonoid quercetin on chondrogenic transformation and calcification of VSM in the MGP-null mouse model and upon TGF-β3 stimulation in vitro, and to characterize the associated alterations in cell signaling.
Molecular analysis revealed activation of β-catenin signaling in cartilaginous metaplasia in Mgp-/- aortae in vivo and during chondrogenic transformation of VSMCs in vitro. Quercetin intercepted chondrogenic transformation of VSM and blocked activation of β-catenin both in vivo and in vitro{So quercetin's affect on chondrogenic differentiation may be mediated by it's effects on Beta-Catenin since blocking Beta-Catenin may be pro- and anti-chondrogenic at different points}. Although dietary quercetin drastically attenuated calcifying cartilaginous metaplasia in Mgp-/- animals, approximately one-half of total vascular calcium mineral remained as depositions along elastic lamellae.
Quercetin is potent in preventing VSM chondrogenic transformation caused by diverse stimuli. Combined with the demonstrated efficiency of dietary quercetin in preventing ectopic chondrogenesis in the MGP-null vasculature, these findings indicate a potentially broad therapeutic applicability of this safe for human consumption bioflavonoid in the therapy of cardiovascular conditions linked to cartilaginous metaplasia of VSM. Elastocalcinosis is a major component of MGP-null vascular disease and is controlled by a mechanism different from chondrogenic transformation of VSM and not sensitive to quercetin."

"Taking into account that quercetin inhibits TG2 via direct binding it is possible that modulation of TG2 enzymatic activity is central in chondrogenic metaplasia of VSM and its prevention. "