Nordihydroguaiaretic acid
| Nordihydroguaiaretic acid | |
|---|---|
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4,4'-(2,3-dimethylbutane-1,4-diyl)dibenzene-1,2-diol |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 500-38-9  |
| PubChem | 4534 |
| MeSH | Nordihydroguaiaretic+acid |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL52  |
| Jmol-3D images | Image 1 |
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C18H22O4 |
| Molar mass | 302.36 g mol−1 |
 (verify) (what is:  / ?)Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) |
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| Infobox references | |
Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is a potent antioxidant compound found in the long-lived creosote bush. It is believed that NDGA reduces cell damage by free radicals, so under the free-radical theory of aging, could be responsible for the bush's long life.
A 1986 study involved feeding female mosquitos NDGA to test the effect on their average life span. While the usual mosquito life span was 29 days, the NDGA-fed mosquitos lived an average of 45 days—an increase of 50 percent.[1]
A 2008 study reported that nordihydroguaiaretic acid lengthened the lifespan of male mice, but not of female mice.[2]
The plant has been used to treat a variety of illnesses including infertility, rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes, gallbladder and kidney stones, pain and inflammation but its use is controversial. It was widely used during the 1950s as a food preservative and to preserve natural fibers but was later banned after reports of toxicity during the early 1960s. Recently, it has been used as a nutritional supplement, however renal and hepatotoxicity are reported for chronic use of creosote bush and NDGA.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Richie Jr, J. P.; Mills, B. J.; Lang, C. A. (1986). "Dietary nordihydroguaiaretic acid increases the life span of the mosquito". Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 183 (1): 81–85. PMID 3749035.
- ^ Strong, R.; Miller, R. A.; Astle, C. M.; Floyd, R. A.; Flurkey, K.; Hensley, K. L.; Javors, M. A.; Leeuwenburgh, C. et al (2008). "Nordihydroguaiaretic acid and aspirin increase lifespan of genetically heterogeneous male mice". Aging Cell 7 (5): 641–650. doi:10.1111/j.1474-9726.2008.00414.x. PMC 2695675. PMID 18631321. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2695675.
- ^ Arteaga, S.; Andrade-Cetto, A.; Cárdenas, R. (2005). "Larrea tridentata (Creosote bush), an abundant plant of Mexican and US-American deserts and its metabolite nordihydroguaiaretic acid". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 98 (3): 231–239. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.02.002. PMID 15814253.
