We previously found that passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds contained a high amount of piceatannol (3,5,3′,4′-trans-tetrahydroxystilbene), a natural analog of resveratrol (3,5,4′-trans-trihydroxystilbene). Resveratrol has been proposed as a potential anti-metabolic disorder compound, by its activation of sirtuin and AMP-activated protein kinase. Many reports show that resveratrol ameliorates diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. However, it is not known whether piceatannol also affects diet-induced obesity. We explored the effect of piceatannol on high fat diet-fed mice. The results showed that piceatannol did not affect high fat diet-induced body weight gain or visceral fat gain in mice. However, piceatannol did reduce fasting blood glucose levels. Furthermore, to explore the potential of passion fruit seed extract containing piceatannol as a functional food, passion fruit seed extract was administered in a genetic diabetic mouse model (db/db mice). Single administration of passion fruit seed extract, as well as piceatannol reduced the blood glucose levels of these db/db mice. These results suggest that piceatannol and passion fruit seed extract may have potential application in the prevention of diabetes.Key words piceatannol; passion fruit seed; antidiabetic activity; high fat diet; db/dbThe incidence of metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide due to aging and changes in lifestyle. In particular, this increase is largely attributed to the rise in the prevalence of obesity, and this common metabolic disorder is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes, and the latter substantially decreases quality of life and increases health care costs. It is difficult to strictly control blood glucose levels over the long term, even though many anti-diabetic medications are clinically available. Therefore, the development of functional foods that can prevent or improve type II diabetes is an urgent matter.Resveratrol is a natural component of several plants, including grapes, berries, and peanuts. Resveratrol displays widespread functions and has several health-promoting effects owing to its anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, and antioxidant activity.1) Recently, resveratrol has been proposed as a potential anti-metabolic syndrome compound because of its role in activating sirtuin and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).2-5) Indeed, several studies have shown that resveratrol protects mice against diet-induced obesity.6-8) Resveratrol has also been shown to have a favorable effect on glucose metabolism in humans.9,10) However, it should be noted that no weight loss has been reported after resveratrol treatment in any human study. 11)Piceatannol is a hydroxylated analog of resveratrol and is also found in various plants, including grapes and rhubarb. Although piceatannol shows activities similar to resveratrol, its levels in plants are significantly lower than those of resveratrol, 12) and it has therefore received far less research attention. We previously found that passion...

No abstract