GARCINIA MANGOSTANA

GROUP 6Environmental Analysts: Andrea

Sumair, Estella Li, Kimberly Huang, and Minhaz Siddiqui

PROBLEM

What environmental factors make different plants from the Garcinia genus thrive in its various specific

locations?

HYPOTHESIS If we extract a strand of

mangosteen DNA and multiply it through PCR, it will show us little

variance within the Garcinia genus.

WHAT ART THOU?• Tropical evergreen tree plant

with exotic fruit from Southeast Asia

• Asexually reproductive & produces recalcitrant seeds

TOLERANCE LEVELS

• Can’t tolerate temperatures below 40º F or above 100º F

• Grown best in fertile, well-drained, and high organic soil with acid pH

• Tree seeds lose viability quickly• Seeds need from 50% to 75% shade

for first year

WHAT ARE WE DOING?• DNA Extraction• Edward’s Buffer & 1 Molar Solutions

• Gel Electrophoresis

Arguments• Cultivation & Import/Export• No studies confirming

medical benefits• Large variance gaps in

Garcinia genus

AGAROSE GEL

•Dilute 50 mL TBE buffer 10x concentrations to 1x by adding 450 mL of distilled water•Add 2 g of agarose powder•Add in flask & microwave•Let cool & pour solution in container

REFERENCES• A Summary of 31 Mangosteen Studies by Narace D.

Seudeal, Ph.D http://www.mangosteenlinks.com/docs/Mangosteen_Research_Summaries_2.pdf

• "Mangosteen: A Friendly Skeptic Looks at Mangosteen." Natural Health: Chet Day's Huge Collection of Healthy Eating Recipes and Natural Health Articles. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://chetday.com/mangosteen.htm>.

• "The Mangosteen Controversy: News Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center." Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center NPIcenter: Natural Product Community's Information Resource. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=24082&zoneid=201.