Exotic god fruit, persimmon (Diospyros kaki): Pharmacological importance and human health aspects

Abstract

The persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) belonging to the family Ebenaceae, is a famous conventional Korean medicinal herb. Calyx of persimmon has been used to prepare herbal drinks in Korea, China, and Japan due to its various functional ingredients, including fructose, glucose, and triterpenoid. In addition, persimmon is generally used as traditional medicine in Korea for the treatment of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and cough. Various useful constituents have been isolated and characterized from Diospyros species, including naphthaquinones, triterpenoids, and steroids. The fruit's nutritional composition comprising 80.3% water, 0.58% protein, 0.19% total lipids, 18.6% total carbohydrates and some minerals, and up to 1.48 g and 7.5 mg total dietary fiber, and ascorbic acid, respectively. Specifically, a flavonoid, fisetin, present in persimmon is associated with killing breast cancer cells without harming normal breast cells, thus contributing to the programmed eradication of colon and prostate cancer cells. Some other notable compounds reported from the various parts of the plant and their extracts have significant pharmaceutical values due to their antioxidant, anticancer, anti-aging, and cytotoxic activities. It is, therefore, high time to promote the consumption of exotic fruits with a rich source of natural antioxidants as a functional supplement to the human diet, with a view to increase the disease protection efficacy.

Persimmon fruit downstream prospects: a promising solution to increase farmer income in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia

“…Persimmons contain various nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, antioxidants such as β-carotene, βcryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene, as well as pro-vitamin A [7,8]. Persimmon fruit can function as a drug to prevent cancer and heart disease and even function as a drug to reduce high blood pressure [9,10]. Persimmons contain antiproliferative activity as anti-cancer [11].…”

Maximizing the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Diospyros kaki Peel through the Use of a Pulsed Electric Field and Ultrasound Extraction

“…Moreover, rutin is widely recognized for its anti-cancer abilities [43]. Interestingly, a recent study reported that rutin was among the polyphenols that were not detected in persimmon [44], albeit suggesting that further investigation was recommended. However, in this study, it was revealed that rutin was the main polyphenol, with quantities reaching as high as 164.24 µg/g and no less than 90 µg/g (Table 2).…”

Investigation into Polyphenol Profile and Biological Activities of Enriched Persimmon/Apple Smoothies during Storage

“…Generally, the main polyphenols in these fruits are flavonols (quercetin and rutin), hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids), hydroxybenzoic acids (gallic, vanillic, and syringic acids) and proanthocyanidin (catechin) [7]. Due to the content of those compounds, persimmon fruits show interesting nutritional properties and antioxidant, anticancer, anti-ageing, and cytotoxic activities [8], provide a natural defence against free radicals [9,10], and have a cholesterol-lowering effect [11].…”