An extract from date palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) acts as a co-agonist ligand for the nuclear receptor FXR and differentially modulates FXR target-gene expression in vitro.

Date palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) consumption reduces serum triglyceride levels in human subjects. The objective of this study was to prepare an extract from dates and determine whether it acts as a ligand for the farnesoid x receptor (FXR), a nuclear receptor important for maintaining triglyceride and cholesterol homeostasis. Freeze-dried extracts were isolated from California-grown dates (Deglet Noor and Medjool) from the 2014 and 2015 harvests, by means of liquid extraction and solid phase separation.