ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the chemical structures of xanthones found in G. mangostana fruit, although continually new xanthones are isolated and characterized from different parts of this fruit, mainly pericarp. Xanthones are biologically active polyphenolic compounds structurally very similar to flavonoids; their chromatographic behavior is also similar. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been widely used to determine the chemical structure of xanthones. The mangosteen fruit may be seedless or have one to five fully developed seeds with an obloid-oblong shape. The phytochemical composition of Garcinia mangostana L. has been widely studied with the result of the identification of xanthones, benzophenones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and triterpenoids. Numerous studies have discovered that xanthones, mainly a-mangostin and mangiferin, have a wide range of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, antiobesity, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, antiallergy, and antibacterial. The separation of xanthones from the extract was commonly carried out by column chromatography on silica gel using different solvent mixtures with increasing polarity.
