Masoprocol (nordihydroguaiaretic acid): a new antihyperglycemic agent isolated from the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata).

An ethnomedically-driven approach was used to evaluate the ability of a pure compound isolated from the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) to lower plasma glucose concentration in two mouse models of type 2 diabetes. The results indicated that plasma glucose concentration fell approximately 8 mmol/l in male C57BL/ks-db/db or C57BL/6J-ob/ob mice following the oral administration of masoprocol (nordihydroguaiaretic acid), a well known lipoxygenase inhibitor. The decline in plasma glucose concentration following masoprocol treatment in the mice was achieved without any change in plasma insulin concentration. In addition, oral glucose tolerance improved and the ability of insulin to lower plasma glucose concentrations was accentuated in masoprocol-treated db/db mice. These data raise the possibility that masoprocol, or other lipoxygenase inhibitors, represents a new approach to the pharmacological treatment of Type 2 diabetes.