diff --git a/lib/asciidoctor/standoc/cleanup.rb b/lib/asciidoctor/standoc/cleanup.rb
index fd8827bd..539775b8 100644
--- a/lib/asciidoctor/standoc/cleanup.rb
+++ b/lib/asciidoctor/standoc/cleanup.rb
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ def mathml_mi_italics
 
       # presuppose multichar mi upright, singlechar mi MathML default italic
       def mathml_italicise(x)
-        x.xpath(".//m:mi", "m" => MATHML_NS).each do |i|
+        x.xpath(".//m:mi[not(ancestor::*[@mathvariant])]", "m" => MATHML_NS).each do |i|
           char = HTMLEntities.new.decode(i.text)
           i["mathvariant"] = "normal" if mi_italicise?(char)
         end
diff --git a/spec/asciidoctor-standoc/cleanup_spec.rb b/spec/asciidoctor-standoc/cleanup_spec.rb
index 53af477a..eb0b8095 100644
--- a/spec/asciidoctor-standoc/cleanup_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/asciidoctor-standoc/cleanup_spec.rb
@@ -1927,6 +1927,11 @@
   <mi>α</mi>
   <mo>+</mo>
   <mi>AB</mi>
+  <mstyle mathvariant="italic">
+  <mrow>
+  <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+  </mstyle>
 </math>
 ++++
 INPUT
@@ -1946,6 +1951,11 @@
           <mi>α</mi>
           <mo>+</mo>
           <mi>AB</mi>
+          <mstyle mathvariant='italic'>
+  <mrow>
+    <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+</mstyle>
         </math>
       </stem>
     </formula>
@@ -1968,6 +1978,11 @@
           <mi>α</mi>
           <mo>+</mo>
           <mi>AB</mi>
+          <mstyle mathvariant='italic'>
+  <mrow>
+    <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+</mstyle>
         </math>
       </stem>
     </formula>
@@ -1990,6 +2005,11 @@
           <mi>α</mi>
           <mo>+</mo>
           <mi>AB</mi>
+          <mstyle mathvariant='italic'>
+  <mrow>
+    <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+</mstyle>
         </math>
       </stem>
     </formula>
@@ -2012,6 +2032,11 @@
           <mi mathvariant="normal">α</mi>
           <mo>+</mo>
           <mi>AB</mi>
+          <mstyle mathvariant='italic'>
+  <mrow>
+    <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+</mstyle>
         </math>
       </stem>
     </formula>
@@ -2034,6 +2059,11 @@
           <mi>α</mi>
           <mo>+</mo>
           <mi>AB</mi>
+          <mstyle mathvariant='italic'>
+  <mrow>
+    <mi>Α</mi>
+  </mrow>
+</mstyle>
         </math>
       </stem>
     </formula>