Xanthones are a class of polyphenolic compounds that commonly occur in plants and have been shown to have extensive biological and pharmacological activities. The pharmacological properties of xanthones in the cardiovascular system and potential anti-tumor benefits have attracted great interest.
Benefit
Xanthones and derivatives have been shown to have beneficial
effects on some cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease,
atherosclerosis, hypertension and thrombosis. The protective effects of
xanthones in the cardiovascular system may be due to their antioxidant,
antiinflammatory, platelet aggregation inhibitory, antithrombotic and/or
vasorelaxant activities. In particular, the antagonism of endogenous
nitric oxide synthase inhibitors by xanthones may represent the basis for
improved endothelial function and for reduction of events associated with
atherosclerosis. Xanthones may also have anti-tumor activity thus
potentially having an influence in the prevention or treatment of
certain cancers.
Human studies
As of April 2009, I am not aware of human studies with xanthones derived from
mangosteen.
Mangosteen pill 500 mg (whole
fruit and rind) - direct from Thailand
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Made from the highest quality ORGANIC raw material available, direct from
Thailand. The actual active ingredients, xanthones, are mostly in the rind
and seed, and less in the fruit. We use the whole fruit - rind, seed and
fruit - in order to provide you with the full spectrum of xanthones. There
are about 20 different xanthones in the whole fruit. Half of this product
is rind, the other half whole fruit.
Supplement facts
Mangosteen - 500 mg
(Garcinia mangostana whole fruit
and pericarp or rind)
Click here to buy Mangosteen supplement product or to
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a discussion of several studies on various supplements
and natural medicine topics, including mangosteen and xanthones research studies, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian,
M.D.
Additional beneficial fruit and berry
extract supplements include goji
berry, noni fruit extract,
pomegranate
fruit extract,
Acai berry extract and cranberry
fruit extract.
Mangosteen xanthones
High amounts of xanthones are found in
mangosteen.
Mangosteen is a fruit grown in Thailand and Myanmar whose rind (the
mangosteen pericarp) appears to have
some medicinal properties, probably due the high amount of xanthones.
Xanthones can cause
apoptosis which could be beneficial in cancer.
What's in mangosteen fruit
Several compounds in mangosteen appear to be active, particularly xanthones. Some of these xanthones include mangostin, mangostenol, mangostenone
A, mangostenone B, trapezifolixanthone, tovophyllin B, alpha- and beta-mangostins,
garcinone B, mangostinone, mangostanol, mangosharin, and the flavonoid epicatechin.
Q. Are xanthones only found in mangosteen fruit?
A. No, there are other plants that also have xanthones.
Aromatase inhibition and
potential breast cancer inhibition
Xanthones from the botanical dietary supplement mangosteen (Garcinia
mangostana) with aromatase inhibitory activity.
J Nat Prod. 2008 Jul; Balunas MJ, Su B, Brueggemeier RW, Kinghorn AD.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Program for Collaborative
Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of
Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Twelve xanthone constituents of the botanical dietary supplement mangosteen
(the pericarp of Garcinia mangostana) were screened using a noncellular,
enzyme-based microsomal aromatase inhibition assay. Of these compounds,
garcinone D), garcinone E, alpha-mangostin, and gamma-mangostin exhibited
dose-dependent inhibitory activity. In a follow-up cell-based assay using
SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells that express high levels of aromatase, the most
potent of these four xanthones was gamma-mangostin. Because xanthones may be
consumed in substantial amounts from commercially available mangosteen products,
the consequences of frequent intake of mangosteen botanical dietary supplements
require further investigation to determine their possible role in breast cancer
chemoprevention.
Xanthones and brain tissue
protection
The natural xanthone alpha-mangostin reduces oxidative damage in rat
brain tissue.
Nutr Neurosci. 2009 Feb; Márquez-Valadez B, Lugo-Huitrón R, Valdivia-Cerda
V, Miranda-Ramírez LR, Pérez-De La Cruz V, González-Cuahutencos O, Rivero-Cruz
I, Mata R, Santamaría A, Pedraza-Chaverrí J. Laboratorio de Aminoácidos
Excitadores, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco
Suárez, Insurgentes Sur México DF, Mexico.
The antiperoxidative properties of alpha-mangostin, a xanthone isolated from
mangosteen fruit, were tested for the first time in nerve tissue exposed to
different toxic insults. Two reliable biological preparations (rat brain
homogenates and synaptosomal P2 fractions) were exposed to the toxic actions of
a free radical generator (ferrous sulfate), an excitotoxic agent (quinolinate),
and a mitochondrial toxin (3-nitropropionate). alpha-Mangostin decreased the
lipoperoxidative action of FeSO(4) in both preparations in a
concentration-dependent manner, and completely abolished the peroxidative
effects of quinolinate, 3-nitropropionate and FeSO(4) + quinolinate at all
concentrations tested. Interestingly, when tested alone in brain homogenates,
alpha-mangostin significantly decreased the lipoperoxidation even below basal
levels. alpha-mangostin exerts a robust antiperoxidative effect in brain tissue
preparations probably through its properties as a free radical scavenger. In
light of these findings, this antioxidant should be tested in other neurotoxic
models involving oxidative stress.
Cancer protection
Alpha-mangostin suppresses PC-3 human prostate carcinoma cell metastasis
by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 and urokinase-plasminogen expression
through the JNK signaling pathway.
J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Feb 25; Division of Urology, Department of Surgery,
Chi Mei Medical Center, No. 901, Jhong-Hua Road, Yong-Kang, Tainan 710, Taiwan,
Republic of China.
Alpha-mangostin, a component of Garcinia mangostana Linn, is a xanthone
derivative shown to have antioxidant and anticarcinogen properties. In this
study, we first report the antimetastatic effect of alpha-mangostin in the human
prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3.
Xanthones Research studies
Induction of apoptosis by xanthones from
mangosteen in human leukemia cell lines.
J Nat Prod. 2003 Aug;66(8):1124-7.
We examined the effects of six xanthones from the pericarps of
mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana, on the cell growth inhibition of human
leukemia cell line HL60. All xanthones displayed growth inhibitory
effects. Among them, alpha-mangostin showed complete inhibition at 10
microM through the induction of apoptosis.
Antimycobacterial activity of prenylated
xanthones from the fruits of mangosteen.
Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 2003 Jul;51(7):857-9.
Prenylated xanthones, isolated from the fruit hulls and the edible
arils and seeds of mangosteen, were tested for their
antituberculosis potential. Alpha- and beta-mangostins and garcinone B
exhibited strong inhibitory effect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Garcinone E, a xanthone derivative, has potent
cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
Planta Med. 2002 Nov;68(11):975-9.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with chemotherapy has
generally been disappointing and it is most desirable to have more
effective new drugs. We extracted and purified 6 xanthone compounds from
the rinds (peel) of the fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. ( mangosteen ), and then tested the cytotoxic effects of these
compounds on a panel of 14 different human cancer cell lines including 6
hepatoma cell lines. Our results have shown that
one of the xanthone derivatives from mangosteen which could be identified as garcinone E
has potent cytotoxic effect on all HCC cell lines as well as on the other
gastric and lung cancer cell lines included in the screen. We suggest that
garcinone E extract from mangosteen may be potentially useful for the treatment of certain types
of cancer.
Evaluation of the antifungal activity of natural
xanthones from Garcinia mangostana (mangosteen) and their synthetic derivatives.
J Nat Prod. 1997 May;60(5):519-24.
The antifungal activity of several xanthones isolated from the fruit
hulls of mangosteen and some derivatives of mangostin against
three phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum vasinfectum, Alternaria
tenuis, and Dreschlera oryzae, has been evaluated. The natural xanthones
from mangosteen
showed good inhibitory activity against the three fungi.
Xanthones health benefit and side effects questions
Q. I recently heard of Xanthosteen? what is it?
A. Xanthosteen is a trademark of the company MB North
America which contains 10% alpha-magostin and 20% polyphenols.
Q. Subject: Xanthones - I am looking to find out some information in
regard to 500mg Mangosteen Capsules. In comparison to the Mangoxan juice
or Mangosteen Juice Blend Garcinia Mangostan - what is the quantiity of
Xanthones? I am thinking of xanthones to fight arthritis inflammation and
would like to get the most amount of Xanthones for the money. Is 1000mg a
day of xanthone in the mangosteen capsules the most effective amount to
use for my purposes based on any studies? Or should I take perhaps more
xanthones per day.
A. You may need to contact Mangoxan juice or Mangosteen
Juice Blend Garcinia Mangostan companies to find out about their xanthone
amounts in their juices. Fruit juices also have a combination of other
fruits so the comparison becomes murky. Keep in mind that just going for
the highest xanthones may be simplistic. Long term side effects of
xanthones are not known.
We wish we could give a confident answer, but since
human studies with mangosteen and xanthones are lacking, it is impossible
to say what the ideal dosage is, plus, the ideal xanthone dosage may vary
from person to person, and could vary based on the medical condition being
treated, other supplements used, one's diet, other medicines used, etc.
There's also no guarantee that xanthones are a good choice to treat
inflammation that you are having.
Q. I am aware of mangosteen and the concentration of xanthones in
that fruit. What I am unable to find out is: Are Xanthones found in any
other fruits? If so, it would then substantiate Dr. Andrew Weil's claim
that Xango Mangosteen fruit juice is 'just a expensive fruit juice, you'd
be just as well off squeezing your own fruit juice from other fresh
fruits.
A. Xanthones are found in other fruits but their concentrations are
minimal to the amount of xanthones found in mangosteen. Each fruit or
fruit juice has its unique sets of beneficial compounds and hence it is a
good idea to have a variety in one's diet or to alternate the use of
various fruit extract supplements.
Q. I would like to know if it is okay to use mangosteen which has
xanthones and so does St. John's Wort together with Zoloft and Xanax? I
know you can't use St. John's wort with these meds. and it contains
xanthones in it.
A. As far as we know, St. John's wort does not have a large amount
of xanthones. Mangosteen is a safe supplement and one capsule a day should
not interfere with medicines, but we have no studies to prove this
viewpoint and your doctor would need to make the final decision.
Q. We are currently at Thammasat University. We are developing a
business plan for a product that has xanthone as a core ingredient. The
role of xanthone has already been proven to kill the airborne TB bacteria
and product development is underway to create a bacteria eliminating
filter that can be used in medical masks etc. I wanted to ask you if you
had done any research on the killing properties of xanthone on bacteria?
Due to our limited budget we are unable to conduct this research
ourselves.
A. I am not familiar with the use of xanthones in the treatment or
prevention of tuberculosis. As of September 2008, I have not seen human
studies regarding the role of xanthones in the treatment of tuberculosis.
Q. I've been doing a research project wondering if xanthone has FDA
approval to be used on cosmetics, medicines and skin creams?
A. I have not looked in the cosmetic uses of xanthones and FDA
regulatory matters.