Toxic properties of nordihydroguaiaretic acid

Plant secondary metabolites alter the feeding patterns of a mammalian herbivore (Neotoma lepida)

“…1, 2). Moreover, the observed reduction in meal size may assist, along with detoxification mechanisms, in minimizing lethal levels of NDGA, a dominant and toxic PSM in creosote resin (Dearing et al 2002;Grice et al 1968;Mabry and Gill 1979;Mangione et al 2001). The estimated quantity of NDGA consumed per meal on the 6% resin treatment ($36 mg meal À1 kg À1 ) was half the LD 50 dose (75 mg meal À1 kg À1 , concentration at which mortality occurs in 50% of animals) of NDGA in mice (Lambert et al 2002).…”

“…PSMs that are ingested and absorbed enter the general circulation where they can be distributed to various tissues and organs. The accumulation of PSMs in tissues and organs can have severe physiological consequences such as lesions, cysts, metabolic acidosis and death (Grice et al 1968;Jha and Chugh 2003;Koppel et al 1981;Lambert et al 2002;Majak 1992;Robles et al 1998). The severity of the physiological consequences induced by PSMs is dependent on the concentration of PSMs that accumulate in the tissues (Paumgartten et al 1990;Sperling et al 1967).…”

“…NDGA is a known feeding deterrent for a variety of herbivores, including desert woodrats ( Mangione et al 2000;Meyer and Karasov 1989;Rhoades 1977a, b;Rhoades and Cates 1976). However, desert woodrats naturally consume up to twice the dose of NDGA each day (3.3-7.8% by dw) that causes cysts and kidney disease in laboratory rats (0.5-3% by dw; Grice et al 1968). Desert woodrats may therefore possess a variety of physiological and behavioral mechanisms that mitigate the toxic consequences of creosote resin.…”

Chaparral [Larrea tridentata(Sesse & Moc. ex DC.) Vail]

“…Aqueous extracts of chaparral are folk treatments primarily for renal and gynecological disorders by traditional healers in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. 4 During the late 1960s, a case series of 59 patients with advanced cancer demonstrated that this compound was not an effective chemotherapeutic agent for these advanced tumors. 2 In 1945, Waller and Gisvold fi rst isolated the active ingredient (nordihydroguaiaretic acid) from chaparral.…”

“…6,14 These studies indicate that the kidneys excrete little free NDGA in the urine, and the major detoxifi cation pathway for this lignan is glucuronidation. 6,14 These studies indicate that the kidneys excrete little free NDGA in the urine, and the major detoxifi cation pathway for this lignan is glucuronidation.…”