Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Peach (Prunus persica) leaves, usually discarded in traditional Chinese medicine, were explored as a source of laxative agents. Using zebrafish larvae for bioactivity-guided fractionation, we isolated a single active flavanone that was identified by NMR and HR-MS as Sakuranetin. In vivo assays demonstrated that Sakuranetin (10–25 µM) accelerated intestinal transit in a dose-dependent fashion; at 25 µM, 64.8% of the fluorescent intestinal content was expelled. Untargeted LC-MS metabolomic analysis revealed significant perturbations in serine biosynthesis and N-glycan precursor biosynthesis, suggesting energetic rewiring of enterocytes. RNA-Seq analysis highlighted gnat1 as the most responsive gene, and molecular docking predicted a stable Sakuranetin–Gnat1 complex with a binding free energy of −8.7 kcal/mol. Concurrent down-regulation of rho transcripts indicated suppression of inflammatory signaling that often accompanies constipation. Our findings identified Sakuranetin as a potent promoter of gut motility and position the otherwise wasted peach leaves as an untapped botanical resource for developing anti-constipation therapeutics.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms26178112
Authors: Ping Wang, Yi Song, Haixin Jiang, Chenyuan Qi, Xubo Zhang, Disheng Wang, Luqi Li, Qiang Zhang
Institution: Northwest A&F University
Language: English
Subfield: Gastroenterology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,499
Award: G398248661
OpenAlex ID: W4413434880