Assessment of the Therapeutic Potential of Persimmon Leaf Extract on Prediabetic Subjects

Abstract

Dietary supplements have exhibited myriads of positive health effects on human health conditions and with the advent of new technological advances, including in the fields of proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics, biological and pharmacological activities of dietary supplements are being evaluated for their ameliorative effects in human ailments. Recent interests in understanding and discovering the molecular targets of phytochemical-gene-protein-metabolite dynamics resulted in discovery of a few protein signature candidates that could potentially be used to assess the effects of dietary supplements on human health. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is a folk medicine, commonly used as dietary supplement in China, Japan, and South Korea, owing to its different beneficial health effects including anti-diabetic implications. However, neither mechanism of action nor molecular biomarkers have been discovered that could either validate or be used to evaluate effects of persimmon on human health. In present study, Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic studies were accomplished to discover proteomic molecular signatures that could be used to understand therapeutic potentials of persimmon leaf extract (PLE) in diabetes amelioration. Saliva, serum, and urine samples were analyzed and we propose that salivary proteins can be used for evaluating treatment effectiveness and in improving patient compliance. The present discovery proteomics study demonstrates that salivary proteomic profile changes were found as a result of PLE treatment in prediabetic subjects that could specifically be used as potential protein signature candidates.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Polyphenol Intake: Current Status and Future Possibilities

“…Persimmon ( Diospyros kaki ) fruit is native to China, and its cultivation extends to other part of East Asia, including Japan, where it is very popular, and it has high proanthocyanidin-type content [ 140 ]. Persimmon fruits possess high levels of dietary fiber, vitamin C, catechin, and gallocatechin [ 141 ]; they exert beneficial effects on obesity by inhibiting adipogenesis and reducing lipid synthesis and accumulation by regulation of lipid-related transcription factors in the white adipose tissue of obese mice [ 140 ].…”

A Narrative Review of Human Clinical Trials on the Impact of Phenolic-Rich Plant Extracts on Prediabetes and Its Subgroups

“…Plant extracts examined were Artemisia princeps Pampanini (Sajabalssuk) [66,67], Elaeis guineensis leaf [68], Ficus deltoidea leaf [68], soy (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) leaf [69,70], white mulberry (Morus alba Linn.) leaf [71][72][73][74], persimmon (Diospyros kaki) leaf [75], Citrus junos Tanaka peel [76], and Acacia. Mearnsii bark [77].…”

“…Khan and colleagues (2017) demonstrated consuming 2000 mg of persimmon leaf extract for eight weeks in IGT participants led to significant PG reduction in the intervention group compared to control (p = 0.029) [75]. Within the same study, samples of saliva, urine and serum collected from a subgroup of five participants with combined IFG/IGT were analyzed for potential protein markers of persimmon leaf treatment.…”

“…Within the same study, samples of saliva, urine and serum collected from a subgroup of five participants with combined IFG/IGT were analyzed for potential protein markers of persimmon leaf treatment. Outcomes showed Tamm-Horsfall protein, uromodulin, SPARC-like protein 1 precursor (SPARCL1) and Complement C7 were down-regulated while Ezrin was up-regulated, indicating ameliorating effects of persimmon leaf on glycemia [75].…”

“…In vitro and animal studies on persimmon leaf have elucidated the mechanistic action of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition [146][147][148], which might have led to the PG reduction observed in the IGT participants due to reduced carbohydrate digestion [75]. Another mechanism of action demonstrated by persimmon leaf might be the inhibition Na + /glucose co-transporter (SGLT1) as the final stage of glucose absorption, as demonstrated by significant reductions in PG in rats after glucose loading [148].…”