The Antidiabetic Potential of Alpha‐Mangostin: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Evidence
Oliver Dean John, Nur Damia Iwani Zulkiflee, Siti Raihanah Shafie, Ramlah George, Melonney PatrickABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most debilitating and burdensome global chronic diseases especially in developing countries. Although pharmaceutical treatments for diabetes are now widely available, their long‐term side effects and economical costs have driven consumers into adopting a more environmentally friendly solution. Medicines derived from natural products have gained stronger traction recently due to the emphasis on more natural solutions for diseases. Alpha‐mangostin is a xanthone compound mainly found in Garcinia mangostana rind and has been consistently studied for its beneficial health effects and biological properties such as cardiovascular, cancer, obesity and several other chronic diseases. This article aims to review the current evidence on the antidiabetic effects of alpha‐mangostin by synthesizing findings from in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. Based on our analysis, alpha‐mangostin has been shown to have promising antidiabetic properties including enhancing insulin secretion, improving glucose uptake through upregulation of GLUT4 receptors, reducing oxidative stress, modulating inflammatory responses, promoting wound healing, protecting the structure of key organs such as the liver, kidney and eye with corresponding changes in their associated biomarkers, reduces HbA1c levels and maintain normal hemoglobin population, reduces atherogenic index, reduces HOMA‐IR index, decreases mRNA expressions of genes associated with carbohydrate and fat metabolism and decreases ER‐stress related protein expressions. In clinical settings, the intervention with alpha‐mangostin‐containing products has been associated with a decrease in insulin level in obese subjects with associated weight loss, reduction of inflammatory markers and a reduction in markers of dyslipidemia. Further studies should focus on more rigorous clinical trials along with more convincing formulations or functional food products containing alpha‐mangostin.