Kim, Heon-Su Suh, Jung-Soo Jang, Yoon-Kwan Ahn, Sang-Hyun Raja, Ganesan Kim, Jin-Chul Jung, Youngmi Jung, Sang Hoon Kim, Tae-Jin 2024-01-19T16:32:25Z 2024-01-19T16:32:25Z 2021-09-02 2020-10 2045-2322 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/118059 Persimmon leaves are known to have some beneficial effects, including ROS elimination, lipid circulation, and neuronal protection. However, their anti-cancer properties and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we show that treatment with the ethanol extract of persimmon, Diospyros kaki, leaves (EEDK) induces cancer cell death and inhibits cell proliferation. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology with genetically-encoded biosensors, we first found that EEDK stimulates a PDGFR-Rac signaling cascade in live cells. Moreover, we found that downstream of the PDGFR-Rac pathway, JNKs are activated by EEDK. In contrast, JNK-downstream inhibitors, such as CoCl2, T-5224, and pepstatin A, attenuated EEDK-induced cell death. Thus, we illustrate that the PDGFR-Rac-JNK signaling axis is triggered by EEDK, leading to cancer cell death, suggesting the extract of persimmon leaves may be a promising anti-cancer agent. English Nature Publishing Group Anti-cancer potential of persimmon (Diospyros kaki) leaves via the PDGFR-Rac-JNK pathway Article 10.1038/s41598-020-75140-3 1 Scientific Reports, v.10, no.1 Scientific Reports 10 1 Y scie scopus 000615379800112 2-s2.0-85093837203 Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology - Other Topics Article