Science & Research for Garcinia mangostana (Mangosteen)

Among the powerful phytonutrients found in the rind of the mangosteen, xanthones stand alone in their impressive benefits. Scientific studies suggest xanthones may promote healthy bodily function.

Researchers have identified dozens of biologically active xanthones in the mangosteen fruit. Today, researchers are just beginning to uncover the powerful scientific properties behind the mangosteen fruit.

Xanthones are:

• A unique class of biologically active compounds possessing numerous bioactive capabilities — such as antioxidant properties.
  
  
• A restricted group of plant polyphenols, biosynthetically related to the flavonoids.
  
  
  • polyphenol – a group of plant chemical substances characterized by the presence of more than one phenolic group. Polyphenols are responsible for the color of some plants and are considered strong antioxidants with potential health benefits.
    
    
  • flavonoid – over 5,000 naturally occurring flavonoids have been characterized from various plants. The beneficial effects of plant-derived food are often attributed to flavonoid compounds, rather than known nutrients, as they show a wide range of biological effects.
    
    
• Chemically speaking, planar-six carbon molecules in a conjugated ring system consisting of a backbone molecule and various chemical groups attached to it. The backbone consists of two benzene rings bridged through a carbonyl group and oxygen. Each ring is connected in a fused formation not allowing free rotation about the carbon-carbon bonds. This unique backbone along with type and position of the attached chemical groups define specific functionalities (properties) of xanthones.
  
  

Xanthone Bioavailability

A pre-clinical, preliminary 28-day study of XANGO Juice identified the bioavailability of xanthones to determine how many xanthones the body actually absorbs and the pathway they travel. A validated xanthone analysis method was used to measure the quantities of the alpha-mangostin xanthone found in blood plasma.

Michael W. Pugh, B.S., director of XANGO's Product Development department. Michael Pugh has more than 15 years experience in the natural products industry and is currently head of research and development for XANGO, LLC. In this capacity, Pugh has implemented safety studies, initiated analytical work and validation, established pharmacokinetics and oversees all clinical work.

Charles River Laboratories, a pre-clinical lab that was established in 1947. It is world renowned for its research models in safety, pharmacokinetics, and in-vitro work. It employs 7,500 employees, including 500 researchers that include PhDs, MDs and DVMs.

The validated plasma method used LC-MS/MS technique to identify and quantify the amounts of alpha-mangostin in the plasma. This new analysis can quantify levels as low as 1 nanogram per ml (ng/ml).

The preliminary research demonstrates that the body absorbs xanthones in low dosages and that very high levels of xanthone consumption actually result in decreased absorption efficiency. In addition, preliminary results showed long-term daily consumption of XANGO Juice increases the levels of xanthones in the blood.

More specifically, the study showed the following regarding alpha-mangostin:

• In approximately 3.5 hours, the xanthone has been absorbed during digestion.
  
  
• Females have a more efficient absorption rate than males.
  
  
• Long-term consumption of XANGO Juice causes a blood loading effect.
  
  
• Alpha-mangostin is absorbed the way nature intended, at very low doses of consumption, such as the amount contained in XANGO Juice.
  
  
• At very high levels, the absorption efficiency of the xanthone decreases.
  
  

This study allows for a solid foundation for future clinical trials. Also, these preliminary findings show artificially inflating a product with xanthone extracts does not add any value.