Phytochemistry and antibacterial potential of the genus Garcinia

Species of the genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae) have been used for centuries in different folk medicine for the treatment of several ailments, as well as food supplements. Evidence from previous studies has demonstrated a rich depository of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with a wide array of biological activities. The present chapter summarizes the information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and antibacterial potential of the Garcinia genus against drug-sensitive and multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes. A literature survey of the published information was collected from databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, SciFinder, Scopus, Web of Science, conference proceedings, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. Phytochemical studies showed that xanthones, benzophenones, and flavonoids as the main secondary metabolites. Pharmacological investigations with crude extracts and isolated compounds from G. kola, G. lucida, G. nobilis as well as other Garcinia species revealed a broad range of antibacterial activity against several drug-sensitive and MDR phenotypes. Among the isolated compounds, a-mangostin, a prenylated xanthone from G. mangostana was found to display the most potent antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria while (-)-hydroxycitric acid from some Garcinia fruits is utilized in the pharmaceutical industry as an anti-obesity agent. Thus, this review demonstrated that there are convincing in vitro studies confirming the traditional use of Garcinia species to treat bacterial infections. Furthermore, the reviewed data herein would be a valuable reference tool for future researchers seeking to explore the application potentials of Garcinia species for the development of antibacterial agents.