Hydroxycitric acid

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is found in the fruit and rind of the mangosteen oil tree plant (Garcinia campogia). This tropical plant, native to India, bears yellowish pumpkin-shaped fruit (Figure 6.4). In animal studies, HCA was shown to decrease... 

Then there is HCA, a substance that comes from the Indian plant garcinia cambogia. HCA s full name is hydroxycitric acid. It is the main ingredient in the well-known diet pill Hydroxycut, which also contains green tea extract and other ingredients. Studies using animals have found that HCA may possibly help reduce body fat. Any evidence that it may lead to weight loss in humans is weak at best. 

Jena, B.S., Jayaprakasha, G.K., Singh, R.P. and Sakariah, K.K. (2002) Chemistry and biochemistry of (-)-hydroxycitric acid from g arcinia. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50, 1 0-22. 

In general, the Garcinia species contains xanthones and phenolic compounds. Xanthones and xanthone derivatives have been isolated from the various species of Garcinia (Rama Rao et al., 1980 Minami et al., 1994). However, the isolation of (-)-hydroxycitric acid [(-)-HCA] from a few species of Garcinia and its biological properties has attracted the attention of biochemists and health practitioners. (-)-HCA is found in the fruit rinds of G. cambogia, G. indica and G. atroviridis (Lewis and Neelakantan, 1965 Lewis, 1969), which are abundant in the Indian subcontinent and western Sri Lanka (CSIR, 1956 Watt, 1972). 

Neelakantan, 1965) were identified mistakenly as tartaric and citric acids (Sreenivasan and Venkataraman, 1959). Lewis and Neelakantan (1965) isolated the principal acid in the fruit rinds of G. cambogia and identified it as (-)-HCA on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic studies. This is known to have a body-trimming effect and hence has become a very valuable commodity for health practitioners. The fruit rinds of G. cambogia and G. indica contain 20-30% (-)-HCA. The structure of hydroxycitric acid and its derivatives is given in Fig. 19.1. 

Heymsfield, S.B., Allison, D.B., Vasselli, J.R., Pietobe 11 i, D.G. and Nunthe, C. (1998) Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) as a potential antiobesity agent. A randomized control trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 280, 1 596-1 600. 

Lewis, Y.S. (1969) Isolation and properties of hydroxycitric acid. In Colowick, S.P. and Kaplan, N.O. (eds) Methods in Enzymology, Volume 13. Academic Press, New York, pp. 613-619. 

Lewis, Y.S. and Neelakantan, S. (1965) (-)-Hydroxycitric acid - the principal acid in the fruits of Garcinia cambogia. Phytochemistry 4, 619-625. 

Preuss, H.C., Bagchi, D., Bagchi, M., Rao, C.V.S., Satyanarayana, S. and Dey, D.K. (2004) Efficacy of a novel, natural extract of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA-SX) and a combination of HCA-SX, niacin-bound chromium and Cymnema syivestre extract in weight management in human volunteers a pilot study. Nutrition Research 24(1), 45-58. 

Garcinia cambogia extract (citrin) Hydroxycitric acid... 

At this stage, the possible presence of a branched-chain saccharinic acid in Kiliani s preparation was supported only by (a) the properties of the barium salt of the hydroxyhexanoic acid obtained from it on reduction and (b) the reported oxidation of parasaccharinic acid with nitric acid to a tribasic acid. The latter evidence was retracted by Kiliani in his final report on the matter, when he stated that the previous identification of hydroxycitric acid was in error and that this tribasic acid is, in fact, ( — )-tartaric acid. In addition, he now observed that oxidation of parasaccharinic acid with nitric acid, followed by reduction with hydriodic acid and red phosphorus, gives a low yield of adipic acid. 

Much of the research on garcinia is focused on a standardized extract referred to as HCA-SX, a garcinia extract that contains 60% of the compound hydroxycitric acid (HCA) (Soni et al. 2004). Garcinia fruit rind naturally contains approximately 16 to 26% HCA (Antony et al. 1998 Jayaprakasha and Sakariah 1998). 

No mutagenic activity of the compound (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA) was observed in the Ames test for mutagenicity with or without metabolic activation, or in the chromosomal aberration test (Aujoulat 2003 Lee and Lee 2007). 

Antony, J.I.X., P.D. Josan, and M.L. Shankaranarayana. 1998. Quantitative analysis of (-)-hydroxycitric acid and (-)-hydroxycitric acid lactone in Garcinia fruits and Garcinia products. /. Food Sci. Technol. 35 399-402. 

Aujoulat, M. 2003. Cited in Soni, M.G., G. A. Burdock, H.G. Preuss, S.J. Stohs, S.E. Ohia, and D. Bagchi. 2004. Safety assessment of (-)-hydroxycitric acid and Super CitriMax, a novel calcium/ potassium salt. Food Chem. Toxicol. 42(9) 1513-1529. 

Deshmukh, N.S. 2008a. Safety of a novel calcium/potassium salt of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA-SX) II. Developmental toxicity study in rats. Toxicol. Mech. Meth. 18(5) 443-451. 

Shara, M., S.E. Ohia, T. Yasmin, et al. 2003. Dose- and time-dependent effects of a novel (-)-hydroxycitric acid extract on body weight, hepatic and testicular lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation and histopathological data over a period of 90 days. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 254(l-2) 339-346. 

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) was extracted from Garcinia cambogia and analyzed on a Cjg column (2 = 214nm) using an aqueous lOmM sulfuric acid mobile phase [1568]. Elution required 14 min due to co-extracted peaks (HCA was eluted in 4 min). Appropriate concentration ranges for HCA were reported as 2-lOpg/mL. 

Stohs SJ, Preuss HG, Ohia SE, Kaats GR, Keen CL, Wilhams LD, Burdock GA. No evidence demonstrating hepatotoxicity associated with hydroxycitric acid. World J Gastroenterol 2009 15(32) 4087-9. 

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