Persimmon (Diospyros Kaki Thunb ‘Saijo’) Peel Improved Dyslipidemia and its Related Production of Atherogenic Autoantigen Complexes in Low- Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Deficient Mice

Role of persimmon (Diospyros kaki, Thunb ‘Saijo’) peel was investigated on developing atherosclerosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficient mice with emphasis on lipid metabolism, physio-biological oxidation, production of related atherogenic autoantigens, and production of anti-atherogenic natural antibodies. Male LDLRdeficient mice were fed high fat diet or high fat diet supplemented with 10% dried and powdered persimmon peel (PP) for 12 weeks. PP supplementation significantly prevented the increment of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. High fat diet feeding increased plasma level of oxidized LDL/β2-glycoprotein I (oxLDL/β2GPI) complexes regarded as an atherogenic autoantigen, while PP supplementation significantly blocked the increment (p<0.05). After a 12-week feeding, atherosclerotic plaques in mice fed with diet supplemented with PP decreased by 70% as compared to that of mice fed the high fat diet (p<0.005). PP feeding also reduced urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2, a stable metabolite of the platelet activation marker thromboxane A2, but level of IgM anti-oxLDL antibodies was not changed. Thus, these results obviously demonstrate that persimmon peel may have an anti-atherogenic property through normalization of lipid metabolism and reduced production of the atherogenic complexes.