Xanthones from the Bark ofGarcinia xanthochymusand Their 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl Radical-Scavenging Activity

Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, and Antiplasmodial Activities of Xanthones Isolated from Garcinia forbesii and Their In Silico Studies

This study aimed to isolate xanthones from Garcinia forbesii and evaluated their activity in vitro and in silico. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. The antidiabetic activity was performed against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes. The antiplasmodial activity was evaluated using Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7 sensitive to chloroquine. Molecular docking analysis on the human lysosomal acid-alpha-glucosidase enzyme (5NN8) and P. falciparum lactate dehydrogenase enzyme (1CET) and prediction of ADMET for the active compound, were also studied. For the first time, lichexanthone (1), subelliptenone H (2), 12b-hydroxy-des-D-garcigerrin A (3), garciniaxanthone B (4) and garcigerin A (5) were isolated from the CH₂Cl₂ extract of the stem bark of G. forbesii. Four xanthones (Compounds 2-5) showed strong antioxidant activity. In vitro α-glucosidase test showed that Compounds 2 and 5 were more active than the others, while Compound 4 was the strongest against α-amylase enzymes. In vitro antiplasmodial evaluation revealed that Compounds 2 and 3 showed inhibitory activity on P. falciparum. Molecular docking studies confirmed in vitro activity. ADMET predictions suggested that Compounds 1-5 were potential candidates for oral drugs. The isolated 2-5 can be used as promising phytotherapy in antidiabetic and antiplasmodial treatment.

Simultaneous identification and quantification of three biologically active xanthones in Garcinia species using a rapid UHPLC-PDA method

Xanthones are well recognized as chemotaxonomic markers for the plants belonging to the genus Garcinia. Xanthones have many interesting pharmacological properties. Efficient extraction and rapid liquid chromatography methods are essentially required for qualitative and quantitative determination of xanthones in their natural sources. In the present investigation, fruit rinds extracts of 8 Garcinia species from India, were prepared with solvents of varying polarity. Identification and quantification of 3 xanthones, namely, α-mangostin, β-mangostin, and γ-mangostin in these extracts were carried out using a rapid and validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection (UHPLC–PDA) method at 254 nm. γ-Mangostin (3.97 ± 0.05 min) was first eluted, and it was followed by α-mangostin (4.68 ± 0.03 min) and β-mangostin (5.60 ± 0.04 min). The calibration curve for α-mangostin, β-mangostin, and γ- mangostin was linear in the concentration range 0.781–100 μg/mL. α-Mangostin was quantified in all 4 extracts of Garcinia mangostana. Its content (%) in hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of G. mangostana was 10.36 ± 0.10, 4.88 ± 0.01, 3.98 ± 0.004, and 0.044 ± 0.002, respectively. However, the content of α-mangostin was below the limit of detection or limit of quantification in the extracts of other Garcinia species. Similarly, β-mangostin was quantified only in hexane (1.17 ± 0.01%), chloroform (0.39 ± 0.07%), and ethyl acetate (0.28 ± 0.03%) extracts of G. mangostana. γ-Mangostin was quantified in all 4 extracts of G. mangostana. Its content (%) in hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of G. mangostana was 0.84 ± 0.01, 1.04 ± 0.01, 0.63 ± 0.04, and 0.15 ± 0.01, respectively. γ-Mangostin was also quantified in hexane (0.09 ± 0.01), chloroform (0.05 ± 0.01), and ethyl acetate (0.03 ± 0.01) extracts of G. cowa, ethyl acetate extract of G. cambogia (0.02 ± 0.01), G. indica (0.03 ± 0.01), and G. loniceroides (0.07 ± 0.01). Similarly, γ-mangostin was quantified in 3 extracts of G. morella, namely, hexane (0.03 ± 0.01), chloroform (0.04 ± 0.01), and methanol (0.03 ± 0.01). In the case of G. xanthochymus, γ-mangostin was quantified in chloroform (0.03 ± 0.001) extract only. α-Mangostin and β-mangostin were not detected in any of 4 extracts of G. pedunculata.

Xanthones from the Bark of Garcinia xanthochymus and the Mechanism of Induced Apoptosis in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells via the Mitochondrial Pathway

Xanthones are important chemical constituents of Garcinia xanthochymus and varied bioactivities including cytotoxicity. However, their anti-tumor mechanism has remained unknown. Here, we isolated and identified a new xanthone named garciniaxanthone I (1) and five known compounds from the bark of G. xanthochymus. Their structures were elucidated by NMR analysis and HRESIMS. The anti-proliferation activities of all isolated compounds were evaluated on four human tumor cell lines (HepG2, A549, SGC7901, MCF-7). The results demonstrated that the anti-proliferation activity of xanthone was related to the number and location of prenyl groups. We further found that garciniaxanthone I (GXI) could induce HepG2 apoptosis and enhance the expression of cleaved caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. GXI could also increase Bax level and concurrently reduce the overexpression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Mcl-1, and surviving in HepG2 cells. Moreover, GXI could inhibit cell migration of HepG2 cells by inhibiting the expressions of MMP-7 and MMP-9. In summary, our study suggests that GXI could induce HepG2 apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway and might become a lead compound for liver cancer treatment.

Jacareubin inhibits FcεRI-induced extracellular calcium entry and production of reactive oxygen species required for anaphylactic degranulation of mast cells

Mast cells (MCs) are important effectors in allergic reactions since they produce a number of pre-formed and de novo synthesized pro-inflammatory compounds in response to the high affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) crosslinking. IgE/Antigen-dependent degranulation and cytokine synthesis in MCs have been recognized as relevant pharmacological targets for the control of deleterious inflammatory reactions. Despite the relevance of allergic diseases worldwide, efficient pharmacological control of mast cell degranulation has been elusive. In this work, the xanthone jacareubin was isolated from the heartwood of the tropical tree Callophyllum brasilense, and its tridimensional structure was determined for the first time by X-ray diffraction. Also, its effects on the main activation parameters of bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) were evaluated. Jacareubin inhibited IgE/Ag-induced degranulation in a dose-response manner with an IC₅₀ = 46 nM. It also blocked extracellular calcium influx triggered by IgE/Ag complexes and by the SERCA ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (Thap). Inhibition of calcium entry correlated with a blockage on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Antioxidant capacity of jacareubin was higher than the showed by α-tocopherol and caffeic acid, but similar to trolox. Jacareubin shown inhibitory actions on xanthine oxidase, but not on NADPH oxidase (NOX) activities. In vivo, jacareubin inhibited passive anaphylactic reactions and TPA-induced edema in mice. Our data demonstrate that jacareubin is a potent natural compound able to inhibit anaphylactic degranualtion in mast cells by blunting FcεRI-induced calcium flux needed for secretion of granule content, and suggest that xanthones could be efficient anti-oxidant, antiallergic, and antiinflammatory molecules.

Chemical and Biological Research on Herbal Medicines Rich in Xanthones

Xanthones, as some of the most active components and widely distributed in various herb medicines, have drawn more and more attention in recent years. So far, 168 species of herbal plants belong to 58 genera, 24 families have been reported to contain xanthones. Among them, Calophyllum, Cratoxylum, Cudrania, Garcinia, Gentiana, Hypericum and Swertia genera are plant resources with great development prospect. This paper summarizes the plant resources, bioactivity and the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of xanthones from references published over the last few decades, which may be useful for new drug research and development on xanthones.

Anti-allergic prenylated hydroquinones and alkaloids from the fruiting body of Ganoderma calidophilum

Six new prenylated hydroquinones of ganocalidin A–F (1–6) and two new compounds of ganocalicine A (7) and B (8), together with sixteen known compounds (9–24) were isolated from an extract of the fruiting body of Ganoderma calidophilum.