Genus Garcinia Research Articles

13C-NMR dereplication of Garcinia extracts: Predicted chemical shifts as reliable databases

Usually isolated from Garcinia (Clusiaceae) or Hypericum (Hypericaceae) species, some Polycyclic Polyprenylated AcylPhloroglucinols (PPAPs) have been recently reported as potential research tools for immunotherapy. Aiming at exploring the chemodiversity of PPAPs amongst Garcinia genus, a dereplication process suitable for such natural compounds has been developed. Although less sensitive than mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy is perfectly reproducible and allows stereoisomers distinction, justifying the development of 13C-NMR strategies. Dereplication requires the use of databases (DBs). To define if predicted DBs were accurate enough as dereplication tools, experimental and predicted δC of natural products usually isolated from Clusiaceae were compared. The ACD/Labs commercial software allowed to predict 73% of δC in a 1.25 ppm range around the experimental values. Consequently, with these parameters, the major PPAPs from a Garcinia bancana extract were successfully identified using a predicted DB.

Dihydroosajaxanthone: A New Natural Xanthone from the Branches of Garcinia Schomburgkiana Pierre.

Garcinia schomburgkiana, locally known in Thailand as an edible fruit "Ma-dan", is a plant species of the Clusiaceae family which has been reported as sources of a variety of compounds with biological activities. In the phytochemical studies of Ma-dan, four xanthones were, for the very first time, isolated from the branch acetone extract of G. schomburgkiana. Their structures were determined through the analysis of spectroscopic data (1H, 13C-NMR, IR and MS) and the comparison with those previously reported. Dihydroosajaxanthone (1), an original synthetic xanthone, is reported herein for the first time as a naturally occurring xanthone, together with three known xanthones: xanthochymone A (2), 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl) xanthone (3) and 1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone (4). These compounds, especially dihydroosajaxanthone (1), might be considered as chemotaxonomic markers of the Garcinia genus.

Evaluation and Comparison of Antioxidant Activity of Leaves, Pericarps and Pulps of Three Garcinia Species in Malaysia Yik-Ling Chew, and Yau-Yan Lim

Background: Garcinia genus plants are a group of well-known fruit trees in Malaysia.The botanical parts of the trees are used for medicinal purposes, where they are prepared as decoction, pastes for wound infections, and some have been consumed as food. Objectives: This paper focused on the assessment of antioxidant potential of three selected Garcinia species commonly used in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Fresh plant materials were extracted using maceration, and various antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated. In vitro antioxidant properties studied were total phenolic and anthocyanin content, free radical scavenging (FRS), ferric reducing power (FRP) and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) activities. Results: G. mangostana leaves and pericarps were found to consist of the highest TPC, FRS and FRP activities, followed by G. hombroniana and G. atroviridis. TAC was found only in G. mangostana pericarps. For fruit pulps, G. hombroniana exhibited the highest antioxidant activities (TPC, FRS and FRP), while G. mangostana had the lowest activities. FIC activity of the Garcinia samples behaved in dose-dependent manner and not correlated with TPC and other antioxidant activities. Conclusion: In general, G. mangostana and G. hombroniana leaves and pericarps exhibited good antioxidant activities, but the antioxidant activities in their fruit pulps were relatively low. G. atroviridis leaves and pericarps generally have lower antioxidant activities than the other species.

Virtual screening, Docking, ADMET and System Pharmacology studies on Garcinia caged Xanthone derivatives for Anticancer activity

Caged xanthones are bioactive compounds mainly derived from the Garcinia genus. In this study, a structure-activity relationship (SAR) of caged xanthones and their derivatives for anticancer activity against different cancer cell lines such as A549, HepG2 and U251 were developed through quantitative (Q)-SAR modeling approach. The regression coefficient (r2), internal cross-validation regression coefficient (q2) and external cross-validation regression coefficient (pred_r2) of derived QSAR models were 0.87, 0.81 and 0.82, for A549, whereas, 0.87, 0.84 and 0.90, for HepG2, and 0.86, 0.83 and 0.83, for U251 respectively. These models were used to design and screened the potential caged xanthone derivatives. Further, the compounds were filtered through the rule of five, ADMET-risk and synthetic accessibility. Filtered compounds were then docked to identify the possible target binding pocket, to obtain a set of aligned ligand poses and to prioritize the predicted active compounds. The scrutinized compounds, as well as their metabolites, were evaluated for different pharmacokinetics parameters such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity. Finally, the top hit compound 1G was analyzed by system pharmacology approaches such as gene ontology, metabolic networks, process networks, drug target network, signaling pathway maps as well as identification of off-target proteins that may cause adverse reactions.

<b>A note on the population status and threats on two endemic and Endangered species of <I>Garcinia</I> of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India</b>

The genus Garcinia comprises c. 35 species in India many of which are endemic and economically important with immense medicinal properties. The two species viz., Garcinia imberti and G. travancorica are lesser-known endemic medium-sized straight-stemmed trees with horizontal branches. The trees are distributed in the restricted forest areas (700–1,500 m) of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve. Both the species are dioecious trees and have male and female flowers in two different individuals, sometimes at a distance of a few kilometers from each other. A large number of mature individuals of these species have been over-exploited from Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve and therefore a few mature individuals and seedlings alone exist. The populations were severely fragmented and exist in a few locations of natural forest areas. The number of mature individuals recorded in G. imbertI and G. travancorica was 127±14 and 112±14 respectively in the entire distributional areas. There was an extreme fluctuation observed every year in the case of flowering and fruiting and also in the number of individuals due to the disturbance in the forest ecosystem. Both species have been included under IUCN threatened category and therefore they need effective conservation measures.

Inclusion complex from cyclodextrin-grafted hyaluronic acid and pseudo protein as biodegradable nano-delivery vehicle for gambogic acid.

Gambogic acid (GA), naturally derived from genus Garcinia trees, exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against multiple types of tumors with resistance to traditional chemotherapeutics. Unfortunately, the poor solubility of GA in conventional pharmaceutical solvents and non-targeted distribution in normal tissues greatly limited its therapeutic potency. To overcome the challenges, we develop a nanoplatform from the supramolecular assembly of β-cyclodextrin grafted hyaluronic acid (HA) and phenylalanine based pseudo protein. The pseudo protein in the nanocomplex provided the hydrophobic interaction and loading capacity for GA, while the HA component targeted the overexpressed CD44 receptor and improved the selective endocytosis in multidrug resistant melanoma cells. The supramolecular nanocomplex provide a promising platform for the delivery of hydrophobic chemotherapeutics to improve the bioavailability and efficiency.

COMPARISON OF INHIBITORY ACTIVITY AGAINST THE α-GLUCOSIDASE ENZYMES IN THE EXTRACTS AND FRACTIONS FROM LEAVES OF THE GARCINIA KYDIA ROXBURGH

Objective : Garcinia kydia Roxb. is aspecies of the genus Garcinia, is based chemotaxonomic has various bioactive compounds that have been isolated by a variety of pharmacological activities, one of the activities that are being developed that inhibition of α-glucosidase. However, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the extracts and fraction from leaves of the Garcinia kydia Roxb. has not been reported. In this study, seeks to evaluated of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity against extracts and fractions of potentially.Methods : The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity test, conducted by in-vitro using the enzymatic reaction is measured of quantity with a microplate reader and identify the compound from the active fraction with normal-phase thin layer chromatography.Results : The ethyl acetate and methanol extract have the potential to inhibit the α-glucosidase with the percent inhibition at a concentration of 500μg/mL of 83 and 59%, respectively. The active fraction of the ethyl acetate extracts (FEA8) with percent inhibition at concentrations of 100 mg/mL and IC50 values of 80% and 2,79μg/mL, respectively and active fraction of the methanol extracts (FMT3) with percent inhibition at concentrations of 100 mg/mL and IC50 values of 71% and 8,43 μg/mL, respectively.Conclusion: Garcinia kydia Roxb. evident has the potential to inhibit the α-glucosidase. Flavonoid and phenolic compounds that suspected of acts as α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Thus, the research will continue the process of isolating the active compound so that it can be developed as natural therapeutic agents in the control of glucose.

IN VIVO TEST OF ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY FROM DICHLOROMETHANE-ETHYL ACETATE-METHANOL FRACTIONS OF MUNDU’S BARK(GARCINIA DULCIS (ROXB.) IN SWISS WEBSTER MICE

Objective:Genus Garcinia is well-known having rich xanthone compound contents and several of those are having biological activity as antimalarial. The aims of this research wereto determine in vivoantiplasmodialactivityof dichloromethane-ethyl acetate-methanol fractions of Mundu’s bark (Garciniadulcis (Roxb.) Kurz) especially fraction Vagainst Plasmodium bergheiand to determineeffective dose.Methods: Making fraction V from ethyl acetate extractsof Mundu’s bark with vacuum column chromatographymethod was applied using dichloromethane-ethyl acetate-methanol. The product was monitored by thin layer chromatography using silica gel GF-254 and a mobile phase of chloroform: ethyl acetate (6:4).The same profiles from eluent composed fraction 18 and 19 were categorized as fraction V.Those were tested in each of groups animals with a doseof 12.5; 25; 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight. Antimalarial activityassessments have been performed with the in vivoPlasmodium bergheitest. Plasmodial activity was obtained by calculating percentage of parasitaemia, parasitaemia inhibition and ED50 determination. ED50value determined based on the relationship between dose and the percentage of parasite growth inhibition by probit analysis.Results: In this research, Antiplasmodial activity of fraction V from Mundu’s bark displayed in dose of 50 mg/kg bw and 100 mg/kg bw with inhibition parasite growth by values of 47.255% and 12.761%, respectively.Conclusion: According to the research, fraction V of Mundu’s bark (Garcinia dulcis (Roxb.) Kurz) had the most potential antiplasmodial activity by in vivo test for male Swiss-Webster mice. The value of ED50 was reached by 47.424 mg/kg bw. Keywords: Mundu’s bark, Antiplasmodial activity, ED50.

A New Benzoyl Compound Isolated from the Endophytic Fungi of Kandis Gajah (Garcinia griffithii) and Asam Kandis (Garcinia cowa)

Garcinia griffithii and Garcinia cowa belong to the genus Garcinia. The genus Garcinia has been known to be a rich source of secondary metabolites, such as xanthones, benzophenones, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, and other phenolic derivatives. Previous investigations of endophytic fungi from G. griffithii revealed the presence of three compounds not found in the host. In order to the continue the phytochemical work on endophytic fungi of G. griffithii, the constituent of the endophytic fungi of G. griffithii was re-examined. In this study, a benzoyl compound similar to that found in the endophytic fungus of G. cowa was observed. The same benzoyl compound was also isolated from the endophytic fungus Acremonium sp of G. griffithii and Aspergillus sp of G. cowa with cultivation of eight weeks in static conditions at room temperature. The culture medium was partitioned using ethyl acetate and evaporated to obtain the concentrated extract. Isolation of compounds was performed using the chromatography method. The chemical structure was proposed on the basis of spectroscopic data, including ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), mass spectrometry (MS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), heteronuclear single-quantum correlation spectroscopy (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation spectroscopy (HMBC), and correlation spectroscopy (COSY).

Garcinia in Southern China: Ethnobotany, Management, and Niche Modeling

Garcinia species are well known for being used traditionally in many different ways in Guangxi and Yunnan, China. To preserve this knowledge, this study recorded the ethnobotanical importance of the genus Garcinia in this area. Ethnobotanical data were collected from seven prefectures in Guangxi (Baise, Chongzuo, Guilin, Fangchenggang, Hechi, Liuzhou, Qinzhou) and six prefectures in Yunnan (Dehong, Honghe, Lincang, Puer, Wenshan, Xishuangbanna) from different ethnic groups. The data were collected in different seasons during 2008, and then again between 2010 and 2014, and 2016. A total of 250 informants were interviewed. Free listing methods, Smith’ S value, use frequency, semi-structured interviews, and potential distribution analysis were used to gather the data. Nine species were identified: Garcinia bracteata C. Y. Wu ex Y. H. Li, Garcinia cowa Roxb., Garcinia esculenta Y. H. Li, Garcinia multiflora Champ. ex Benth., Garcinia oblongifolia Champ. ex Benth., Garcinia paucinervis Chun & How, Garcinia pedunculata Roxb., Garcinia xanthochymus Hook. f. ex T. Anders., and Garcinia yunnanensis Hu. For each species, the field distribution, use knowledge, estimated usage intensities, prediction for potential distributions, and traditional management were recorded and analyzed. Conclusions are that (1) local knowledge of Garcinia species is diversified and influenced by ethnic groups. They are used as edible fruit, medicine, wood, ornamental plants, and extracting oil; (2) different ethnic groups share similar ideas regarding sustainable harvest and meeting their needs through resource management; and (3) with the rapid socio-economic changes in these areas, the traditional knowledge of the local people is being threatened.

Identification and quantification of adulteration in Garcinia cambogia commercial products by chromatographic and spectrometric methods

ABSTRACTSpecies of genus Garcinia are rich sources of bioactive constituents with antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and anti-HIV activities. Commercial products of Garcinia cambogia are used as anti-obesity drugs with increasing market demand. Because of the high price of its products, it can be adulterated with similar lower-priced species. This study was designed to develop and validate an accurate and efficient method for the detection of any adulteration (G. indica) in G. cambogia products. For this purpose, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyse the ethanolic fruit rind extracts of G. cambogia and G. indica, their formulations of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 95% G. indica with G. cambogia, and 11 G. cambogia commercial products. The analytical methods were validated by quality assurance parameters of linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Two marker peaks were detected in G. indica fruit extract, whereas G. cambogia did not show these peaks. The detected peaks were identified as anthocyanins; cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. In the study to determine the effect of pH and temperature on the stability of its anthocyanin content, HPLC analysis of G. indica extract showed the highest content at pH 1 and 50°C. Using two different mobile phases, the limits of detection (LOD) for cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were 0.036 and 0.059, and 0.022 and 0.033 mg kg–1, respectively. Furthermore, the inter-day precision (< 3.2%) confirmed that the applied analytical method fulfils the required criteria of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). From this study, it was found that the HPLC method used for the detection of adulteration in G. cambogia products is rapid and accurate.

Guttiferone K suppresses cell motility and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by restoring aberrantly reduced profilin 1.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy and the 5-year survival rate of advanced HCC is < 10%. Guttiferone K (GUTK) isolated from the Garcinia genus inhibited HCC cells migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo without apparent toxicity. Proteomic analysis revealed that actin-binding protein profilin 1 (PFN1) was markedly increased in the presence of GUTK. Over-expression of PFN1 mimicked the effect of GUTK on HCC cell motility and metastasis. The effect of GUTK on cell motility was diminished when PFN1 was over-expressed or silenced. Over-expression of PFN1 or incubation with GUTK decreased F-actin levels and the expression of proteins involved in actin nucleation, branching and polymerization. Moreover, a reduction of PFN1 protein levels was common in advanced human HCC and associated with poor survival rate. In conclusion, GUTK effectively suppresses the motility and metastasis of HCC cells mainly by restoration of aberrantly reduced PFN1 protein expression.

Chemical constituents from leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus

The constituents were isolated and purified by the silica gel and semi-preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated by NMR spectral and MS data. Fifteen compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of 95% ethanol extract from the leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus, and identified as 5, 7, 4'-trihydroxy-6-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-flavone(1), 1,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone(2), 1, 3-dimethoxy-5-hydroxy xanthone(3), kaempferol(4),(2S,3S)-trans-dihydrokaempferol(5), 3, 24, 25-trihydroxytirucall-7-ene(6), 4-hydroxycinnamic acid(7), isovanillic acid(8),(Z)-2-(2,4-dihydroxy-2, 6, 6-trimethylcyclohexylidene)acetic acid(9), volkensiflavone(10), morelloflavone(11), 3, 8″-biapigenin(12), bilobetin(13), fukugiside(14), GB2a glucoside(15). Compound 1 is a new compound, compounds 5, 6, 9 and 13 are isolated from the genus Garcinia for the first time, and compounds 4, 7-8, 10-12, 14 and 15 are firstly found from this plant. α-Amylase inhibitory activities of 10 compounds were determined using starch azure as the substrate, and the results show that compound 13 has the inhibitory activities against α-amylase, IC₅₀ values of compound 13 and acarbose are 8.12, 4.32 μmol•L⁻¹ respectively.

Epigarcinol and isogarcinol isolated from the root of Garcinia ovalifolia induce apoptosis of human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60 cells).

BackgroundPlants from garcinia genus have been used for centuries against several diseases.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mechanism of apoptosis induced by epigarcinol and isogarcinol isolated from the root of Garcinia ovalifolia (Clusiaceae) on human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60 cells).MethodsEpigarcinol and isogarcinol were isolated from the root of G. ovalifolia by using column chromatography method. The antiproliferative property of these molecules and fractions were assessed with 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The light fluorescence microscope was utilized to observe the morphological changes of HL-60 cells after 24 h treatment. Early apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed by using flow cytometry (FCM).ResultsThe results showed that epigarcinol and isogarcinol inhibited the proliferation of HL-60 and PC-3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 varying between 4 and 76 µg/mL depending on the cell line and the molecule. The apoptosis rate and the number of apoptotic cells significantly increased with the augmentation of the concentration of the molecules. The results of flow cytometry (FCM) indicated that epigarcinol and isogarcinol induced significant G2/S arrest of HL-60 cells, the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.ConclusionThese results indicated that epigarcinol and isogarcinol demonstrated in vitro antiproliferative properties and induce apoptosis of HL-60 cells which is related to the G2/S arrest, and it exerts its apoptotic effect through the loosing of mitochondrial membrane potential.

The natural compound nujiangexanthone A suppresses mast cell activation and allergic asthma

Mast cells play an important role in allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. The genus Garcinia of the family Guttiferae is well known as a prolific source of polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols and bioactive prenylated xanthones, which exhibit various biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects. Nujiangexanthone A (N7) is a novel compound isolated from the leaves of Garcinia nujiangensis. In this paper, we sought to determine the anti-allergic and anti-inflammation activity of N7 in vivo and its mechanism in vitro. We found N7 suppressed IgE/Ag induced mast cell activiation, including degranulation and production of cytokines and eicosanoids, through inhibiting Src kinase activity and Syk dependent pathways. N7 inhibited histamine release, prostaglandin D2 and leukotriene C4 generation in mast cell dependent passive cutaneous anaphylaxis animal model. We also found N7 inhibited the IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IgE levels in ovalbumin-induced asthma model. Histological studies demonstrated that N7 substantially inhibited OVA-induced cellular infiltration and increased mucus production in the lung tissue. Our study reveals the anti-allergic function of N7, thereby suggesting the utility of this compound as a possible novel agent for preventing mast cell-related immediate and delayed allergic diseases.

Simultaneous determination of multi-class bioactive constituents for quality assessment of Garcinia species using UHPLC–QqQLIT–MS/MS

Plants of genus Garcinia are therapeutically important and widely used in ayurvedic and traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of an array of ailments. In present study, a highly sensitive and efficient analytical method was developed and validated for rapid determination of twenty-six multi-class bioactive constituents in the leaf extracts of eleven Garcinia species using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-hybrid linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QqQLIT–MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was accomplished on an Aquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50mm×2.1mm id, 1.7μm) using gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile within 7.5min. Quantitative analysis was carried out by multiple-reaction monitoring mode (MRM) in negative electrospray ionization. The developed method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH, Q2R1) guidelines. All standard calibration curves expressed good linear relationship (r2≥0.9991) over the concentration range of 0.1–300ng/mL. The precision was assessed by intra- and inter-day study which revealed RSD≤1.93%. The recoveries of quantified compounds were between 95.45 and 104.43% with RSD≤1.89%. This method was successfully applied to investigate quantitative variation among eleven Garcinia species. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were performed to compare and evaluate the quality of studied Garcinia species based on their quantitative data. The results indicated significant variation among eleven Garcinia species on the basis of twenty-six bioactive constituents. The developed method could be used as a tool for quality control and authenticity establishment of Garcinia species.

Anti-inflammatory activity of benzophenone and xanthone derivatives isolated from Garcinia (Clusiaceae) species

Species of the genus Garcinia have been the source of many benzophenone and xanthone derivatives. Recent data regarding potent biological properties of natural compounds in Garcinia species led us to investigate the in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of three known xanthones, lichexanthone (1), 1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone (2), 1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone (3), two new xanthones 1-hydroxy-3,6,7-tri-O,O,O-triprenylxanthone (4), 1,6-dihydroxy-3,7-di-O,O-diprenylxanthone (5) and two benzophenones isoxanthochymol (6), guttiferone E (7), isolated from Garcinia nobilis and Garcinia punctata. The Griess assay was used for the measurement of nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophages and the ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange assay was used to determine the 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) inhibitory activity. All the compounds had inhibitory effect on 15-LOX activity to different extents. Compound (7) had the highest anti-LOX activity with an IC50 value of 43.05μg/mL. At the highest studied concentration (25μg/mL), compound (4) had the most potent inhibitory activity against NO release with a% of inhibition of 95.42% and less cytotoxic effect on RAW264.7 cells (% of cell viability of 81.40).The results presented here suggest that 1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone (3) and guttiferone E (7) are promising inhibitors of NO production and 15-LOX activity. Further studies should be considered in order to elucidate the mechanism by which these compounds exert their inhibitory activities.

Garcinia indica fruit extract induces genotoxicity in mice

The fruits of the plant Garcinia indica, as well as other species of the genus Garcinia, are used both as food and in folkloric medicine. Recently extracts of G. indica fruits also have been used in commercial weight-loss formulations. In the present study, we evaluated the genotoxic potential of G. indica extract in mice. Mice were treated with single doses of a lyophilized hydroxy-methanol extract of the rind of G. indica fruit dissolved in water. Doses of 15–240 mg/kg body weight were administered orally or intraperitonially. Bone marrow cells were evaluated for chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs). The extract produced dose-dependent increases in both the endpoints, while the rate of cellular proliferation of the bone marrow cells remained unaffected. The minimum effective concentrations for inducing chromosomal aberrations and SCEs were 120 and 30 mg/kg, respectively. The results of the study indicate that a crude extract of the fruit-rind of G. indica is genotoxic in mice.

Cambogin Induces Caspase-Independent Apoptosis through the ROS/JNK Pathway and Epigenetic Regulation in Breast Cancer Cells.

Cambogin is a polycyclic polyprenylated acylphoroglucinol (PPAP) from the Garcinia genus, which has been used traditionally for cancer treatment across Southeastern Asia. In this study, we found that cambogin inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in vitro. Cambogin induced the activation of the caspase-independent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, as indicated by an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and the nuclear translocation of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF). Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry revealed that the expression of proteins involving in the radical oxygen species (ROS) pathway was among the most affected upon cambogin treatment. Cambogin enhanced cellular ROS production, and induced the activation of the ASK1-MKK4/MKK7-JNK/SAPK signaling pathway. Pretreatment with ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, or the JNK inhibitor SP600125 was able to restore cell viability in the presence of cambogin. Importantly, cambogin treatment led to the activation of activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) and the trimethylation of histone H3K9 in the activator protein 1 (AP-1) binding region of the Bcl-2 gene promoter. Finally, cambogin exhibited a potential antitumor effect in MCF-7 breast cancer xenografts without apparent toxicity. Taken in conjunction, the present study indicates that cambogin can induce breast adenocarcinoma cell apoptosis and therefore represents therapeutic potential for cancer treatment.

Traditional Knowledge and Practices Related to Genus Citrus, Garcinia, Mangifera and Nephelium in Malaysia

Asia holds massive fruit diversity. Many nutritional and functional properties studies have been done on the fruit species. However, not many studies were done on other aspects of knowledge that can be gained related to these species. The aim of this study was to identify the various uses of the tropical fruit plant species from the genus of Citrus, Garcinia, Mangifera and Nephelium, based on the traditional knowledge and practices of the local communities. The study was conducted through direct interviews with 109 respondents from six areas and communities, targeting the genus Citrus, Mangifera, Nephelium and Garcinia. A total of 18 fruit species were recorded and were categorized into five different purposes, namely for 1) food, 2) medicinal purpose, 3) culture, 4) good practice and 5) other usage. Most of the traditional knowledge related to the fruit species used was as food, food additives or processing method (54.6%). All species except Citrus spp. and Mangifera laurina have information on traditional knowledge related to food. The highest number of species was recorded from the community of Sibuti, with a total of 14 species recorded while least number was recorded from the community of Bukit Gantang with a total of 4 species. The average number of species and respondents recorded from each community was 8.5 species and 18 respondents. The two most frequently cited species were found to be regional specific knowledge. The most cited species was Mangifera pajang which is endemic to Borneo, while Garcinia atroviridis which recorded the second highest citation was only found in Peninsular Malaysia. Documentation of traditional knowledge is a good tool, not just for the conservation of traditional knowledge from being extinct and forgotten, but also to identify new potential, ideas and possibilities from it, so that it opens up to many other scientific studies.