Protective Effect of γ-mangostin Isolated from the Peel of Garcinia mangostana against Glutamate-Induced Cytotoxicity in HT22 Hippocampal Neuronal Cells

The aim of the present study was to examine the protective effect of gamma-mangostin, a component of the mangosteen shell, against oxidative damage to nerve cells induced by excessive glutamate, a known excitatory neurotransmitter. To investigate the effect of gamma-mangostin on apoptosis, 5 mM of glutamate was used to induce apoptotic cell death in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. In this study, gamma-mangostin was found to exert a stronger protection than N-acetyl cysteine against glutamate-induced cell damage. gamma-Mangostin showed prevented glutamate-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species and stimulating the expression of heme oxygenase-1 protein. In addition, glutamate significantly induced the accumulation of intracellular calcium ions, whereas treatment with gamma-mangostin markedly reduced it. Hoechst 33342 staining showed an improvement in glutamate-induced nuclear condensation following gamma-mangostin treatment. Furthermore, the number of annexin V-positive cells was significantly reduced following treatment with gamma-mangostin. Western blot analysis showed the inhibition of glutamate-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation by gamma-mangostin. gamma-mangostin also inhibited the regulation of the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Thus, the results of this study suggest that gamma-mangostin is an active ingredient of mangosteen and exerts neuroprotective activities in HT22 cells.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that gamma-mangostin has a protective effect against glutamate-induced cell damage by reducing reactive oxygen species production, stimulating heme oxygenase-1 expression, and inhibiting the intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in HT22 cells.