ORIGINAL ARTICLE Mangifera indica L. (Vimang) Protection against Serum Oxidative Stress in Elderly Humans Gilberto L. Pardo-Andreu, a,b Sarah J. Philip, b Annia Rian ˜o, a Carlos Sa ´nchez, a Carmen Viada, a Alberto J. Nu ´n ˜ez-Selle ´s, a and Rene ´ Delgado a a Laboratorio de Farmacologı ´a, Departamento de Investigaciones Biome ´dicas, Centro de Quı ´mica Farmace ´utica, Atabey, Playa, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba b Departamento de Quı ´mica Farmacia, Universidad de Camagu ¨ey, Camagu ¨ey, Cuba Received for publication February 16, 2005; accepted April 27, 2005 (ARCMED-D-05-00069). Background. We searched for the protective effect of a natural extract from stem bark of Mangifera indica L. extract (Vimang) on age-related oxidative stress. Methods. Healthy subjects were classified in two groups, elderly (O65 years) and young group (!26 years). The elderly group received a daily dose of 900 mg of extract (three coated Vimang tablets, 300 mg each, before meals) for 60 days. Serum concentration of lipid peroxides, serum peroxidation potential, extracellular superoxide dismutase activity (EC-SOD), glutathione status (GSH, GSSG, GSSG/GSH ratio)) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were determined before (both experimental groups) and 15, 30, and 60 days after treatment (only elderly group). We confirmed the existence of an age-associated oxidative stress in human serum as documented by an age-related increase in serum lipoperoxides and GSSG and a decrease in serum antioxidant capacity and EC-SOD activity. Results. Vimang tablet supplementation increased EC-SOD activity ( p !0.01) and serum TAS ( p ! 0.01). It also decreased serum thiobarbituric reactive substances ( p !0.01) and GSSG levels ( p ! 0.05). We suggested that the antioxidant components of the extract could have been utilized by the cells (especially blood and endothelial cells), sparing the intra- and extracellular antioxidant system and increasing serum peroxil scavenging capacity, thus preventing age-associated increase in GSH oxidation and lipoperoxidation. Conclusions. Vimang tablets prevent age-associated oxidative stress in elderly humans, which could retard the onset of age-associated disease, improving the quality of life for elderly persons. Ó 2006 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. Key Words: Aging, Mangifera indica L., Antioxidants, Oxidative stress, Vimang. Introduction Many theories have been proposed to account for the process of aging. The argument that free radicals cause nonspecific damage to macromolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins has been called the free radical theory of aging (1). This theory has become quite persuasive in recent years due to the development of free radical biology and the growing number of evidences, which have shown that most physiological and biochemical aspects of the aging process correlate with cellular accumulation of oxidized products (2,3). Vimang is the brand name of an aqueous extract of the mango (Mangifera indica L.) stem bark extract (MSBE) of selected varieties, which contains a defined mixture of com- ponents including polyphenols, triterpenes, phytosterols, fatty acids and microelements (4,5). Previous experiments Address reprint requests to: Gilberto Pardo Andreu, Departamento de Quı ´mica Farmacia. Universidad de Camagu ¨ey, Carretera Circunvalacio ´n Km. 5 1/2, Camagu ¨ey, Cuba; E-mail: g031071@yahoo.com 0188-4409/06 $–see front matter. Copyright Ó 2006 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2005.04.017 Archives of Medical Research 37 (2006) 158–164