Abstract
Large number of natural products have been evaluated as potential chemopreventive agents. Epidemiological studies have shown that dietary phytochemicals provide beneficial effects on cancer prevention. In this context, α-Mangostin was found to have a cancer preventive effect in rat carcinogenesis bioassay and apoptosis-inducing activity in human cancer cell lines by targeting mitochondria. Furthermore, the extract from pericarps, which contains mainly α-mangostin and γ-rmangostin, exhibited an enhancement of NK cell activity in a mouse model. These findings could provide a relevant basis for the development of xanthones as an agent for cancer prevention.
