The mangosteen fruit (Garcinia mangostana) has become a familiar fruit for the Indonesian people. This fruit is widely found in tropical countries, such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, and has a unique sweet-sour taste that has earned it the nickname “Queen of Fruits” or the Queen of Fruits.
Getting to Know Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)
Garcinia mangostana L., or commonly known as the mangosteen tree, is a tree that grows in tropical climates, and is a plant that grows in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia such as Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In fact, there are many other plants from the Garcinia species, but Garcinia mangostana or mangosteen is the most well-known due to its wide utilization, including as a natural medicinal ingredient and health supplement1.
The use of mangosteen as a medicine traditionally includes the fruit, fruit peel, bark, and even its roots and has been used for hundreds of years. The scope of its utilization is also quite broad. In addition to eating the fruit, in various regions of Asia, the dried and powdered mangosteen peel is used as an antimicrobial and antiparasitic agent for dysentery patients and is used to treat wounds and stomach ulcers.
Alpha-Mangostin: The Main Compound
Mangosteen contains many phytochemical compounds, however, among them, the most prominent compound is alpha-mangostin which is known to be the compound that provides the strongest biological effects.
Alpha-mangostin is a compound prenylated xanthone that is most abundantly found in mangosteen peel (78% of the compound content). This compound has low solubility in water but can dissolve in organic solvents such as ethanol, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). What distinguishes alpha-mangostin from other compounds in mangosteen, namely beta-mangostin, is the presence of a methyl group, while beta-mangostin has a hydroxyl group. Although they have similar effects, alpha-mangostin is known to have more significant effects.
Pharmacological Benefits of Alpha-Mangostin
Alpha-mangostin is known to have many pharmacological effects and various studies in vitro and in vivo have been conducted to explore the claims of these effects. Some pharmacological effects of alpha-mangostin are as follows:
1. Antioxidant Activity
Alpha-mangostin was first proven to have antioxidant activity through tests using the method ferric thiocynate. Furthermore, several other studies demonstrating alpha-mangostin's antioxidant activity prove that the antioxidant methods of alpha-mangostin include several as follows; Acting as radical scavenger to inhibit LDL oxidation induced by radicals copperor peroxyl, inhibiting the decrease in α-tocopherol consumption in copper-induced LDL oxidation, and countering lipoperoxidation and oxidative stress-mediated damage with its ability to quench free radicals3.
2. Anticancer Activity
Recently, xanthone compounds have been the focus of attention regarding their anticancer activity that can inhibit effects in carcinogenesis processes. The target molecules of tumor cells that are the main focus of inhibition by xanthone are kinases, DNA polymerases, ribonucleotide reductases, and cyclooxygenases. As one of the xanthone compounds, alpha-mangostin has also been widely studied for its anticancer effects. In fact, alpha-mangostin shows one of the best anticancer effects among various xanthone compounds5.
Results from various studies indicate that alpha-mangostin can control cancer cells through the apoptotic mechanism or cell suicide process. In the inhibition test of leukemia cell growth cell line HL60 uses several compounds xanthone, the strongest effect is obtained by alpha-mangostin4.
Alpha-mangostin is also known to synergize with chemotherapeutic drugs, increasing its efficacy and reducing its toxicity effects on healthy cells. For example, alpha-mangostin shows protective effects against doxorubicin-induced neurotoxicity by alleviating oxidative damage3.
3. Antimicrobial Activity
Based on various tests and reviews, alpha-mangostin is known to be effective against various microbes, not only limited to bacteria but also some fungi, including some microbes that have been known to have antibiotic resistance. The microbes reported to be inhibited by alpha-mangostin are M. tuberculosis, E. faecalis, L. ivanovii, S. aureus, M. smegmatis, S. uberis, V. parahaemolyticus, E. cloacae, E. coli, F. columnare, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, C. albicans, S. mutans, P. gingivalis, S. typhi, S. sonei and P. Aeruginosa6.
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References
1. Y, A. (2025). Therapeutic insights into Garcinia mangostana: Bioactivities, challenges, and future directions in drug discovery. Tropical Biomedicine, 42(2), 169–183. https://doi.org/10.47665/tb.42.2.010
2. Ansori, A. N. M., Fadholly, A., Hayaza, S., Susilo, R. J. K., Inayatillah, B., Winarni, D., & Husen, S. A. (2020). A Review on Medicinal Properties of Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.). Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 13(2), 974. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-360x.2020.00182.1
3. Zhang, K., Gu, Q., Yang, K., Ming, X., & Wang, J. (2016). Anticarcinogenic effects of Α-Mangostin: a review. Planta Medica, 83(03/04), 188–202. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-119651
4. Majdalawieh, A. F., Terro, T. M., Ahari, S. H., & Abu-Yousef, I. A. (2024). α-Mangostin: A Xanthone Derivative in Mangosteen with Potent Anti-Cancer Properties. Biomolecules, 14(11), 1382. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14111382
5. Muchtaridi, M., & Wijaya, C. A. (2017). ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF Α-MANGOSTIN. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 10(12), 440. https://doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2017.v10i12.20812
6. Sultan, O. S., Kantilal, H. K., Khoo, S. P., Davamani, A. F., Eusufzai, S. Z., Rashid, F., Jamayet, N. B., Soh, J. A., Tan, Y. Y., & Alam, M. K. (2022). The Potential of α-Mangostin from Garcinia mangostana as an Effective Antimicrobial Agent—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Antibiotics, 11(6), 717. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11060717
Editorial Team:
- Rafi Rif'atul Rizki, S.I.Kom.