In a recent study, the same group reported the activation of the insulin receptor (IR) by Lagerstroemin (Fig. 2, 23) . In this study, Lagerstroemin was able to induce phosphorylation of the b-subunit of IR at 150 mM (23) but the mechanism responsible for IR activation was not found. The researchers speculated that Lagerstroemin could act intracellularly or bind to the insulin receptor (IR) extracellularly.