Mangosteen xanthones, α-and γ-mangostins, inhibit allergic mediators in bone marrow-derived mast cell

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.), one of top-selling botanical dietary supplements in the USA, has been used as food and folk medicines in southeastern Asia. Herein, α-and γ-mangostins, major constituents of mangosteen, were investigated for their effect on the bone marrow-derived mast cell (BMMC) mediated allergy mechanism induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus A23187. α- and γ-mangostins demonstrated to inhibit Interleukin (IL)-6, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) production as well as degranulation in PMA plus A23187 induced BMMC. Furthermore, α- and γ-mangostins were found to repress cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in the present study. Thus, these results suggest that α- and γ-mangostins may be useful in alleviating mast cell-mediated allergic inflammatory responses.