Acute Effects of a Polyphenol-Rich Leaf Extract of Mangifera indica L. (Zynamite) on Cognitive Function in Healthy Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study.

Julia C Wiebe,Emma L Wightman,Joanne Forster,Julie Khan,Philippa A Jackson,Nigel Gericke,David O Kennedy

doi:10.3390/nu12082194

Julia C Wiebe, Emma L Wightman + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082194

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Jul 23, 2020
Citations: 19	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Northumbria University, University of Johannesburg

Abstract

Extracts made from the leaves of the mango food plant (Mangifera indica L., Anacardiaceae) have a long history of medicinal usage, most likely due to particularly high levels of the polyphenol mangiferin. In rodent models, oral mangiferin protects cognitive function and brain tissue from a number of challenges and modulates cerebro-electrical activity. Recent evidence has confirmed the latter effect in healthy humans following a mangiferin-rich mango leaf extract using quantitative electroencephalography (EEG). The current study therefore investigated the effects of a single dose of mango leaf extract, standardised to contain >60% mangiferin (Zynamite®), on cognitive function and mood. This study adopted a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design in which 70 healthy young adults (18 to 45 years) received 300 mg mango leaf extract and a matched placebo, on separate occasions, separated by at least 7 days. On each occasion, cognitive/mood assessments were undertaken pre-dose and at 30 min, 3 h and 5 h post-dose using the Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) assessment battery and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). The results showed that a single dose of 300 mg mango leaf extract significantly improved performance accuracy across the tasks in the battery, with domain-specific effects seen in terms of enhanced performance on an ‘Accuracy of Attention’ factor and an ‘Episodic Memory’ factor. Performance was also improved across all three tasks (Rapid Visual Information Processing, Serial 3s and Serial 7s subtraction tasks) that make up the Cognitive Demand Battery sub-section of the assessment. All of these cognitive benefits were seen across the post-dose assessments (30 min, 3 h, 5 h). There were no interpretable treatment related effects on mood. These results provide the first demonstration of cognition enhancement following consumption of mango leaf extract and add to previous research showing that polyphenols and polyphenol rich extracts can improve brain function.

Highlights

The roots, leaves, fruit and bark of the food plant Mangifera indica have a long history of therapeutic use within traditional medicinal systems for a wide range of conditions
This group of polyphenols are found in a restricted group of plant species [3], including members of the Hypericum genus that provide us with a number of medicinal herbal extracts [4], but they are rarely consumed in the diet, with only a few exceptions other than mango itself (e.g., [5])
Whilst structurally distinct from the flavonoids and other polyphenols that are ubiquitous in plant derived foods, mangiferin [8,11,12,13,14] likely owes its beneficial bioactivity to some similar mechanisms of action as found in the wider polyphenol group class [15], including interactions with, and modulation of, diverse components of a wide range of mammalian cellular signal transduction pathways

Summary

Introduction

The roots, leaves, fruit and bark of the food plant Mangifera indica (mango) have a long history of therapeutic use within traditional medicinal systems for a wide range of conditions. Whilst structurally distinct from the flavonoids and other polyphenols that are ubiquitous in plant derived foods, mangiferin [8,11,12,13,14] likely owes its beneficial bioactivity to some similar mechanisms of action as found in the wider polyphenol group class [15], including interactions with, and modulation of, diverse components of a wide range of mammalian cellular signal transduction pathways These pathways, in turn, control gene transcription and a plethora of cellular responses, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the synthesis of growth factors, and vasodilatory and inflammatory molecules. These mechanisms potentially underlie the observation of consistent beneficial cardiovascular effects from meta-analyses of multiple intervention studies [21,22,23], and demonstrations of improved cognitive function [24,25,26,27,28], following diverse polyphenols

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