Mangosteen peel and seed as antimicrobial and drug delivery in rubber products

Garcinia mangostana Linn. or mangosteen is a tropical superfruit with an excellent taste. The peel and seed of mangosteen waste can be used in medical, cosmetic, and health-care applications. Both mangosteen peel and seed have outstanding antibiotic properties and are suitable for use as bio-fillers in natural rubber latex products such as medical gloves, rubber transdermal patches, rubber toys, and rubber-health care products. In addition, mangosteen seed composed of griseofulvin polyethylene glycol [(C2H4O2)(n)](1-x) (C17H17ClO6)(x) is useful for treating osteoarthritis of the knee, similar to commercial glucosamine (amino sugar). Adding mangosteen peel and mangosteen seed in rubber gloves and rubber patches, respectively, is an alternative form of antimicrobial and drug delivery replacing taking a tablet. This study compared the characteristics and properties of mangosteen peel with silver nitrate (AgNO3) and compared the characteristics and properties of mangosteen seed with commercial glucosamine using the film casting dipping process. The obtained natural rubber latex gloves with added mangosteen peel powder had a good appearance with a high contact angle (resulting in hydrophobicity and low wettability with water equal to 130.67 degrees +/- 2.08 degrees), good mechanical properties (high percentage of elongation at break 815.72 +/- 54.67%, high tensile strength 64.59 +/- 13.54 MPa, good stiffness 296.50 +/- 48.32 N/m, and high Young's modulus 29.65 +/- 4.83 MPa), and as it was non-toxic to skin it was suitable for application in medical gloves and transdermal patches. The natural rubber patches added with mangosteen seed had high wettability and good mechanical properties. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of mangosteen seed were consistent with the FTIR spectra of commercial glucosamine.