Abstract
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of disorders that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This study has investigated the responses to rind of yellow mangosteen (Garcinia dulcis), usually discarded as waste, in a rat model of human metabolic syndrome. The rind contains higher concentrations of phytochemicals (such as garcinol, morelloflavone and citric acid) than the pulp. Male Wistar rats aged 8–9 weeks were fed either corn starch diet or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet for 16 weeks, which were supplemented with 5% freeze-dried G. dulcis fruit rind powder during the last 8 weeks. We characterised metabolic, cardiovascular, liver and gut microbiota parameters. High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats developed abdominal obesity, hypertension, increased left ventricular diastolic stiffness, decreased glucose tolerance, fatty liver and reduced Bacteroidia with increased Clostridia in the colonic microbiota. G. dulcis fruit rind powder attenuated these changes, improved cardiovascular and liver structure and function, and attenuated changes in colonic microbiota. G. dulcis fruit rind powder may be effective in metabolic syndrome by appetite suppression, inhibition of inflammatory processes and increased fat metabolism, possibly related to changes in the colonic microbiota. Hence, we propose the use of G. dulcis fruit rind as a functional food to ameliorate symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Highlights
The genus Garcinia includes more than 250 species of shrubs and trees of the Clusiaceae or Guttiferae family that grow in lowland tropical forests
We evaluated the reversal by G. dulcis rind of the metabolic, cardiovascular, liver and gut microbiota changes produced by intervention with food containing high simple sugars and saturated and trans fats in rats
Garcinia dulcis is a tropical fruit used in Southeast Asia mainly for medicinal properties and occasionally as food, the sour taste is a challenge in commercialising the fruit without processing [21]
Summary
The genus Garcinia includes more than 250 species of shrubs and trees of the Clusiaceae or Guttiferae family that grow in lowland tropical forests. Species include G. mangostana (purple mangosteen), G. cambogia (Malabar tamarind) and G. humilis (achacha or Bolivian mangosteen) [1]. The yellow mangosteen or G. dulcis (Roxb.) Kurz is native to Borneo, Java, the Philippines, Malaya and southern Thailand and cultivated throughout Southeast Asia and the American tropical regions [2]. In Australia, G. dulcis is usually restricted to north Queensland, where it grows in rainforests from the Melville range, Cape York Peninsula, to the Torres Strait islands [3] but is grown around South East Queensland [4]. The young fruit is green but turns yellow when ripe. An extract of G. dulcis fruit showed hepatoprotective and anti-proliferative properties [7,8]
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