Cancer: Breast, gliomas, colon
Action: Chemo-preventive agent, chelating agent
Mangiferin, a glucosylxanthone isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides, is an efficient iron chelator, therefore preventing the generation of hydroxyl radical in Fenton-type reactions. Numerous published in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies have demonstrated many other activities of mangiferin: analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-sclerotic, anti-microbial and anti-viral., cardio-, hepato-, and neuro-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, MAO-inhibiting and memory-improving, as well as radio-protective against X-ray, gamma, and UV radiation. Several studies also indicated its ability to inhibit cancerogenesis and cancer cell growth by apoptosis induction in vitro and in vivo (Matkowski et al., 2013).
Colon Cancer; Pre-neoplastic Lesions
Recent studies have shown that mangiferin has potential as an anti-oxidant, and as an anti-viral agent. The effects of mangiferin in rat colon carcinogenesis induced by the chemical carcinogen, azoxymethane (AOM), were studied. Two experiments were carried out: a short-term assay to investigate the effects of mangiferin on the development of pre-neoplastic lesions by AOM, aberrant crypt foci (ACF); and a long-term assay for the influence of mangiferin on tumorigenesis induced by AOM. In the short-term assay, 0.1% mangiferin in a diet significantly inhibited the ACF development in rats treated with AOM, compared to rats treated with AOM alone (64.6±22.0 vs. 108.3±43.0).
In the long-term assay, the group treated with 0.1% mangiferin in initiation phase of the experimental protocol had significantly lower incidence and multiplicity of intestinal neoplasms induced by AOM (47.3% and 41.8% reductions of the group treated with AOM alone for incidence and multiplicity, respectively). In addition, the cell proliferation in colonic mucosa was reduced in rats treated with mangiferin (65–85% reductions of the group treated with AOM alone). These results suggest that mangiferin has potential as a naturally-occurring chemo-preventive agent (Yoshimi et al., 2001).
Mangiferin may be used as an effective chemo-preventive agent against breast cancer. Mangiferin, which is a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone, has exhibited promising anti-cancer activities. In this study, the anti-cancer activity of mangiferin was evaluated in breast cancer cell line-based in vitro and in vivo models. Li et al. (2013) showed that mangiferin treatment resulted in decreased cell viability and suppression of metastatic potential in breast cancer cells.
Gliomas
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases which play a key role in invasion, migration, and angiogenesis of astrogliomas and other malignant tumors. Thus, controlling MMPs has been considered an important therapeutic strategy for prevention and/or treatment of gliomas.
Mangiferin inhibits the binding of NF- κB and AP-1 to the MMP-9 promoter and suppresses the PMA-induced phosphorylation of Akt and MAP kinases, which are upstream signaling molecules in MMP-9 expression. Thus, the specific inhibition of MMP-9 by mangiferin may provide a valuable pharmacological tool for treatment of gliomas (Jung et al., 2012,).
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