A new series of mangostin analogs of natural α-mangostin from mangosteen was prepared and their antimycobacterial activity was evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra. The results showed that the monoalkyl tetrahydro α-mangostin analogs displayed increased antimycobacterial activity as compared with the lead natural xanthone, α-mangostin. Among the tested compounds, 6-methoxytetrahydro α-mangostin (16) exhibited the most potent antimycobacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.78 µg/mL. The activity of the monoalkylated and monoacylated tetrahydro α-mangostins decreases as the length of carbon chain increases. The methyl ether analog was also active against the multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains with pronounced MICs of 0.78–1.56 µg/mL.
α‐Mangostin has been reported to possess a broad range of pharmacological effects including potent cholinesterase inhibition, but the development of α‐mangostin as a potential lead compound is impeded by its toxicity. The present study investigated the impact of simplestructural modification of α‐mangostin on its cholinesterase inhibitory activities and toxicity toward neuroblastoma and liver cancer