Advanced PCT utilizes the all natural flavone 7-methoxyflavone (7-MF). 7-methoxyflavone (7-MF) however is NOT to be confused with 5-methyl-7-methoxy-isoflavone (aka methoxyISOflavone). You may remember methoxyISOflavone as the plant extract that was locked up in a 30 year patent which finally expired in 1997. Fed to livestock it provided powerful anabolic effects, yet failed miserably when used by athletes trying to achieve the same.
7-MF is an all natural ingredient with strong aromatase inhibiting properties, superior bioavailability, and strong resistance to hepatic metabolism/breakdown. So what is aromatase?
A major mass limiting factor for anyone looking to gain size is the testosterone destroying enzyme known as aromatase. Aromatase is a genetically regulated enzyme that binds to the most potent, masculine, anabolic compound in your body… and feminizes it. Yes, aromatase binds to testosterone and other male muscle building androgens and converts them into female estrogens. However, 7-MF may effectively bind to and render inactive the aromatase enzyme. This is important because by blunting the effects of aromatase, estrogen concentrations decline, more LH is secreted in response, and the body responds with a surge in anabolic testosterone production.
You may have seen other aromatase inhibitors on the market, most of which have a steroidal structure to them. So how does 7-MF compare to traditional aromatase inhibitors? Let's find out. IC50 values represent the concentration of an ingredient that is required to inhibit 50% of a biological process. In this case, that biological process is the aromatase enzyme. Thus, the less you need, the more potent an ingredient is said to be. In addition, on the IC50 value scale the lower the number the more potent the ingredient.
The IC50 value scale in fact ranges up into the hundreds. 7-MF has an IC50 value of 2-9µM (1), and is more specifically suggested to have an IC50 value of 1.18 µM (2). That is incredibly low, suggesting that 7-MF is very powerful. In fact, one of the most powerful AI's that is available over the counter has a higher IC50 value than 7-MF, clearly giving 7-MF the upper hand. Now that is impressive for a natural AI, which is why we believe it is more than capable of holding its own and rivaling the power of old-school AIs.
Another common measurement used is the K(i) value, used to measure the binding affinity of an inhibitor. Binding affinity is how strongly an ingredient binds to another compound…it can help to think of binding affinity as how "sticky" it is…such as Duct tape Vs. Scotch tape…one is stickier thus binds to objects better than the other. In this case, binding affinity refers to how strongly 7-MF binds to the aromatase enzyme.
Traditional and steroidal-structured AI's used in other testosterone boosters have a K(i) "sticky" value that ranges from 0.18µM to 2.00 µM . 7-MF has a K(i) sticky value of 1.9 µM . Thus, not only can 7-MF hold it's own against traditional AI's, but it is 100% natural and non-steroidal, giving 7-MF the dominant edge over old-school anti-estrogens.
