The mangosteen fruit has more than 80 different types of polyphenols known as xanthones.
All parts of the tree are used medicinally, as the roots, tree bark, and fruit are all consumed and can be commonly prepared as powders, ointments, and teas for treatment of dysentery, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhea, urinary disorders, and for healing wounds and ulcers.
In this paper our laboratory evaluated 8 different xanthones from the mangosteen including α-mangostin, β-mangostin, γ-mangostin, gartanin, 8-desoxygartanin, garcinone C and garcinone D, and 3-isomangostin.
In this research project we used each of xanthones described above to determine the most potent inhibitors of CDK4.
CDK4, also known as cyclin dependent kinase 4, is a protein that helps regulate cell cycle progression and is an important drug target in cancer cells.
Interestingly, we have been able to show that each of the xanthones inhibited cancer cell growth with several of these found to be direct inhibitors of CDK4.
You can read the full length of the paper in the reference below.
Reference: Bhaskar Vemu, Mirielle C Nauman, Jacob P Veenstra, Jeremy J Johnson. Structure activity relationship of xanthones for inhibition of Cyclin Dependent Kinase 4 from mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.). International Journal of Nutrition. 2019;4(2):38-45.
