Mangiferin is a glucosylxanthone (

xanthonoid A xanthonoid is a chemical natural phenolic compound formed from the xanthone backbone. Many members of the Clusiaceae contain xanthonoids. Xanthonoid biosynthesis in cell cultures of '' Hypericum androsaemum'' involves the presence of a benzoph ...

). This molecule is a glucoside of norathyriol.

Natural occurrences

Mangiferin was first isolated from the leaves and bark of ''

Mangifera indica ''Mangifera indica'', commonly known as mango, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is a large fruit tree, capable of growing to a height of . There are two distinct genetic populations in modern mangoesthe "Indian ty ...

'' (the mango tree). It can also be extracted from mango peels and kernels, ''

Iris unguicularis ''Iris unguicularis'' ( syn. ''Iris stylosa''), the Algerian iris, is a rhizomatous flowering plant in the genus '' Iris'', native to Greece, Turkey, Western Syria, and Tunisia. It grows to , with grassy evergreen leaves, producing pale lilac or ...

'', ''

Anemarrhena asphodeloides ''Anemarrhena'' is a plant genus in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. It has only one species, ''Anemarrhena asphodeloides'', native to China and Mongolia. Some authors have placed it in its own family, Anemarrhenaceae. Distribution ...

'' rhizomes and ''

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

'' leaves. It is also found in the genera '' Salacia'' and ''

Cyclopia Cyclopia (named after the Greek mythology character cyclopes) is the most extreme form of holoprosencephaly and is a congenital disorder (birth defect) characterized by the failure of the embryonic prosencephalon to properly divide the orbits of ...

'', as well as in

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

leaves and some species of ''

Crocus ''Crocus'' (; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain under ...

''. Among the group of '' Asplenium hybrids'' known as the "Appalachian ''Asplenium'' complex", mangiferin and isomangiferin are produced only by ''

Asplenium montanum ''Asplenium montanum'', commonly known as the mountain spleenwort, is a small fern endemic to the eastern United States. It is found primarily in the Appalachian Mountains from Vermont to Alabama, with a few isolated populations in the Ozarks ...

'' and its hybrid descendants. The distinctive gold-orange

fluorescence Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...

of these compounds under

ultraviolet light Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

has been used to aid in the

chromatographic In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it through a system (a ...

identification of hybrid ''Asplenium''s.

Research

Preliminary research is conducted on the potential biological properties of mangiferin, although there are no confirmed anti-disease effects or prescription drugs approved, as of 2019.

References

{{xanthone Xanthonoids C-glycoside natural phenols

Natural occurrences

Research

See also

References