Mangosteen xanthones mitigate ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma

alpha- and gamma-Mangostin, which are the major xanthones purified from a Mangosteen. Carcinia mangostana Linn., exhibit a wide range of anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we assessed their therapeutic effects in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. Animals were treated with alpha- and gamma-mangostins orally for 3 days at doses of 10 and 30 mg/kg daily, 1 h before the OVA challenge. Administration of alpha- and gamma-mangostins significantly reduced the major pathophysiological features of allergic asthma, including inflammatory cell recruitment into the airway, airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), and increased levels of Th2 cytokines. In addition, alpha- and gamma-mangostins attenuated the increases in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity, phosphorylation of Akt, and NF-kappa B in nuclear protein extracts after OVA challenge. In conclusion, alpha- and gamma-mangostin may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of allergic asthma. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.