Protective Effect of α-Mangostin on High Glucose Induced Endothelial Cell Apoptosis

α-mangostin is a phenolic compound from pericarp of mangosteen. It has prominent anti-oxidant properties. Oxidative stress has been shown to be a major factor that disrupts cell functions including endothelium. High glucose (HG) induced ROS production plays a key role in endothelial cell apoptosis. However, the effect of α-mangostin on HG induced apoptosis has not been studied yet. This study demonstrates the effect of α-mangostin in HG induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) apoptosis. The non-toxic dose of α-mangostin was determined using a MTT assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell apoptosis were evaluated using DCF-DA and TUNEL assays, respectively. The signaling of α-mangostin was elucidated by western blotting. α-mangostin significantly and, dose-dependently, decreased HG induced ROS formation. Also, α-mangostin significantly attenuated HG induced endothelial cell apoptosis. In addition, α-mangostin suppressed HG induced apoptosis via JNK and p38-MAPK. According to our results, α-mangostin attenuated HG induced endothelial cell apoptosis through inhibition of phosphorylation of JNK and p38-MAPK.