Xanthones are natural polyphenols with the basic molecular formula C13H8O2 that are commonly found in lichens, fungi, and higher plants.
Xanthones can be found in higher plants that are used as food sources, for example, Garcinia mangostana L. (the queen of fruits, mangosteen), a tropical fruit with reddish-purple pericarp. Mangosteen is used as popular food in beverages and in other health products.
γ-Mangostin (γ-MG) is a xanthone derived from Garcinia mangostana, used in folk medicine for treatment of abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, wound infections, and chronic ulcers. Mangosteen derived xanthones, viz., α- and β-mangostin predominantly found in roots, barks, edible fruits, and seeds.
At least 68 distinct xanthones have been identified in different parts of the G. mangostana plant with 50 being present in the fruit’s pericarp at higher concentrations than in the aril or edible portion of the fruit. The most abundant xanthones in the pericarp of mangosteen fruit are α- and γ-mangostin.
Xanthones from mangosteen have been reported as antioxidant, antibacterial especially for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and anticancer.
Xanthones in mangosteen
