In the course of our search for Acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitors from natural sources, a new type of ACAT inhibitor was isolated from a methanol extract of Diospyros kaki. On the basis of spectral and structural evidence, the compound was identified as pheophorbide A-methyl ester. Pheophorbide A-methyl ester inhibited ACAT activity in a dose dependent manner with an $IC_{50}$ value of 1.85 $mu$ g/mL.