Peach leaf contains multiflorin a as a potent inhibitor of glucose absorption in the small intestine in mice.

Peach leaf extract has anti-hyperglycemic effects on the postprandial blood glucose level in glucose-loaded mice. In our previous study, the mechanism of action was considered to be the inhibition of glucose absorption in the small intestine. To elucidate the active principle in peach leaf, purification of the active compound and a structure determination were performed. With the use of bioassay-guided fractionation using glucose-loaded mice, the acetylated kaempferol glycoside multiflorin A (MFA), a potent inhibitor of glucose absorption from the intestine, was isolated from the MeOH extract of leaf of the edible peach Prunus persica. The structure was identified by HPLC using thiazolizine derivatives and by an analysis of its spectral data. The inhibitory effect of MFA against glucose absorption was demonstrated in the dose dependent manner in mice. However, as the deacetylated analog of MFA, multiflorin B did not show the activity at the in vivo, the activity of MFA was suggested to depend on the acetyl group on the sugar moiety. This is the first report of anti-hyperglycemic activity of MFA in peach leaf extract. MFA may be useful in functional foods or medicines for preventing the postprandial absorption of glucose in hyperglycemia.