Antioxidative and Antiallergic Effect of Persimmon Leaf Extracts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidative and antiallergic effects of persimmon leaf extract. Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of the crude persimmon leaf extract (PLE) and the partially purified persimmon leaf extract (PPLE) were determined in in vitro assays by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl- hydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide anion radicals, and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and cyclooxygenase (COX). Total phenols and total flavonoid levels of PLE and PPLE were 230.0±19.6 mg/g and 475.5±38.7 mg/g, and 34.8±6.5 mg/g and 78.8±3.6 mg/g, respectively. DPPH and superoxide radical-scavenging activities (SC50) of the PLE and PPLE were 23.8±3.2 ppm and 10.0±1.3 ppm, and 47.6±3.4 ppm and 22.4±3.3 ppm, respectively. Inhibitory activities (IC50) of PLE and PPLE against 5-LO, COX-1 and COX-2 were 77.1±11.7, 38.6±7.0 ppm, 47.4±7.7, 25.3±6.3 ppm, and 129.5±5.5, 84.5±2.3 ppm, respectively. Moreover, two extracts inhibited dose-dependently NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and also effectively inhibited the cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction activated by anti-dinitrophenyl IgE antibody in mice. These results suggest that PLE and PPLE may be useful for phytochemical materials for prevention and treatment of radical-mediated pathological and allergy diseases.