Phenolic profiles, antioxidant activities, and antiproliferative activities of different mung bean (Vigna radiata) varieties from Sri Lanka

Structural elucidation, binding sites exploration and biological activities of bound phenolics from Radix Puerariae Thomsonii

Radix puerariae thomsonii (RPT) contains many phenolics and exhibits various health benefits. Although the free phenolics in RPT have been identified, the composition and content of bound phenolics, which account for approximately 20% of the total phenolic content, remain unknown. In this study, 12 compounds were isolated and identified from RPT-bound phenolic extracts, of which 2 were novel and 6 were reported first in RPT. ORAC and PSC antioxidant activities of 12 compounds, as well as their effects on alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase were evaluated. Genistein exhibited the highest ORAC activity, while daidzin demonstrated superior PSC activity. Five compounds, including two new compounds, exhibited the ability to activate both ADH and ALDH. All the compounds except 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid methyl ester and 2,4,4'-trihydroxydeoxybenzoin demonstrated inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Alkaline hydrolysis and stepwise enzymatic hydrolysis revealed that bound phenolics in RPT mainly exist within starch.

Effects of Mung Bean Water Supplementation on Modulating Lipid and Glucose Metabolism in a Diabetic Rat Model

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often associated with chronic inflammation exacerbated by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Mung beans have a longstanding reputation in traditional medicine for their purported ability to lower blood glucose levels, prompting interest in their pharmacological properties. This study aimed to explore the impact of mung bean water (MBW) on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in a T2DM rat model induced by nicotinamide/streptozotocin. Normal and DM rats were supplemented with a stock solution of MBW as drinking water ad libitum daily for 8 weeks. MBW supplementation led to significant reductions in plasma total cholesterol, HDL-C, and VLDL-C + LDL-C levels, and decreased malondialdehyde levels in plasma and liver samples, indicating reduced oxidative stress. MBW supplementation lowered plasma glucose levels and upregulated hepatic hexokinase activity, suggesting enhanced glucose utilization. Additionally, MBW decreased hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione peroxidase activities, while hepatic levels of glutathione and glutathione disulfide remained unchanged. These findings underscore the potential of MBW to improve plasma glucose and lipid metabolism in DM rats, likely mediated by antioxidant effects and the modulation of hepatic enzyme activities. Further exploration of bioactive components of MBW and its mechanisms could unveil new therapeutic avenues for managing diabetes and its metabolic complications.

Dietary mung bean as promising food for human health: gut microbiota modulation and insight into factors, regulation, mechanisms and therapeutics-an update

Plant-based functional foods have gained wider attention in current scenario with mung bean harboring several bioactive compounds with promising gut health benefits and pharmacological importance. Consumption of mung bean has a positive impact on beneficial gut microbes and microbial metabolite production. The effects of dietary mung bean on gut microbial homeostasis and the management of gut-related diseases along with the possible mechanism of action, have been highlighted through this review paving a way for a promising role of dietary mung bean as a functional food in the management of gut-related diseases for example mung bean peptides can help not only in treating prediabetes but also delaying the aging process by targeting the intestinal microflora. In addition, expanding our knowledge of how diets affect host health and disease, including the effects of mung bean dietary components on gut microbiota-derived metabolites, will eventually allow for the development of tailored diets and nutrients.

Extractions, Contents, Antioxidant Activities and Compositions of Free and Bound Phenols from Kidney Bean Seeds Represented by 'Yikeshu' Cultivar in Cold Region

To thoroughly understand the profile of phenolic phytochemicals in kidney bean seeds cultivated in a cold region, the extractions, contents, antioxidant activities, compositions of free and bound phenols in the seed coat and cotyledon, and also relevant color attributes, were investigated. The results indicated that ultrasound-assisted extraction was an efficient method for free phenols. The bound phenols in seed coat and cotyledon were released more efficiently by alkali-acid and acid-alkali sequential hydrolysis, respectively. Under the optimized extractions, total phenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and anthocyanins (TAC) ranged in 7.81-32.89 mg GAE/g dw, 3.23-15.65 mg RE/g dw, and 0-0.21 mg CE/g dw in the whole seeds of the five common kidney beans. There was a big difference in phenolic distribution between red and white seeds. From whole seed, the phenols in the four red cultivars mainly existed in free state (78.84%) and seed coat (71.56%), while the phenols in the white 'Sark' divided equally between free (51.18%) and bound (48.82%) states and consisted chiefly in cotyledon (81.58%). The correlation analyses showed that the antioxidant activities were significantly and positively correlated with TPC and TFC. The phenolic attributes were closely associated with the color of the seed coat. Red seeds had higher total contents of phenols than white seeds. TAC had a positively significant correlation with redness. Brightness and yellowness showed a negatively significant correlation with TPC, TFC, and antioxidant capacities, which were necessarily linked with redness degree and spot in red seeds. The spotted red 'Yikeshu' with the most outstanding performance on phenolic attributes was selected to analyze phenolic compounds with UHPLC-QE-MS. Among the 85 identified phenolics, 2 phenolic acids and 10 flavonoids were dominant. The characteristic phenolics in free and bound states were screened in both seed coat and cotyledon, respectively. The available information on the phenolic profile may expand the utilization of kidney beans as a nutritional ingredient in the food industry.

Unlocking the Nutraceutical Potential of Legumes and Their By-Products: Paving the Way for the Circular Economy in the Agri-Food Industry

Legumes, including beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils, are cultivated worldwide and serve as important components of a balanced and nutritious diet. Each legume variety contains unique levels of protein, starch, fiber, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, with potential applications in various industries. By-products such as hulls, rich in bioactive compounds, offer promise for value-added utilization and health-focused product development. Various extraction methods are employed to enhance protein extraction rates from legume by-products, finding applications in various foods such as meat analogs, breads, and desserts. Moreover, essential fatty acids, carotenoids, tocols, and polyphenols are abundant in several residual fractions from legumes. These bioactive classes are linked to reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammation, some cancers, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, among other relevant health conditions. The present contribution provides a comprehensive review of the nutritional and bioactive composition of major legumes and their by-products. Additionally, the bioaccessibility and bioavailability aspects of legume consumption, as well as in vitro and in vivo evidence of their health effects are addressed.

Mung bean as a potent emerging functional food having anticancer therapeutic potential: Mechanistic insight and recent updates

Cancer is still a major challenge for humans. In recent years, researchers have focused on plant-based metabolites as a safe, efficient, alternative or combinatorial, as well as cost-effective preventive strategy against carcinogenesis. Mung bean is an important nutritious legume, and known for providing various health benefits due to various bioactive phytochemicals and easily digestible proteins. Regular intake of mung bean helps to regulate metabolism by affecting the growth and survival of good microbes in the host gut. Mung bean has also been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory properties. These properties may possess the preventive potential of mung bean against carcinogenesis. Bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed research literature were searched through a structured conceptual approach using focused review questions on mung beans, anticancer, therapeutics, and functional foods along with inclusion/exclusion criteria. For the appraisal of the quality of retrieved articles, standard tools were employed. A deductive qualitative content analysis methodology further led us to analyze outcomes of the research and review articles. The present review provides recent updates on the anticancer potential of mung bean and the possible mechanism of action thereof to prevent carcinogenesis and metastasis. Extensive research on the active metabolites and mechanisms of action is required to establish the anticancer potential of mung bean. Keeping the above facts in view, mung bean should be investigated for its bioactive compounds, to be considered as functional food of the future.

Genome-wide association studies for phenological and agronomic traits in mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is one of the important warm-season food legumes, contributing substantially to nutritional security and environmental sustainability. The genetic complexity of yield-associated agronomic traits in mungbean is not well understood. To dissect the genetic basis of phenological and agronomic traits, we evaluated 153 diverse mungbean genotypes for two phenological (days to heading and days to maturity) and eight agronomic traits (leaf nitrogen status using SPAD, plant height, number of primary branches, pod length, number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight, and yield per plant) under two environmental conditions. A wide array of phenotypic variability was apparent among the studied genotypes for all the studied traits. The broad sense of heritability of traits ranged from 0.31 to 0.95 and 0.21 to 0.94 at the Delhi and Ludhiana locations, respectively. A total of 55,634 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained by the genotyping-by-sequencing method, of which 15,926 SNPs were retained for genome-wide association studies (GWAS). GWAS with Bayesian information and linkage-disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK) model identified 50 SNPs significantly associated with phenological and agronomic traits. In total, 12 SNPs were found to be significantly associated with phenological traits across environments, explaining 7%-18.5% of phenotypic variability, and 38 SNPs were significantly associated with agronomic traits, explaining 4.7%-27.6% of the phenotypic variability. The maximum number of SNPs (15) were located on chromosome 1, followed by seven SNPs each on chromosomes 2 and 8. The BLAST search identified 19 putative candidate genes that were involved in light signaling, nitrogen responses, phosphorus (P) transport and remobilization, photosynthesis, respiration, metabolic pathways, and regulating growth and development. Digital expression analysis of 19 genes revealed significantly higher expression of 12 genes, viz. VRADI01G08170, VRADI11G09170, VRADI02G00450, VRADI01G00700, VRADI07G14240, VRADI03G06030, VRADI02G14230, VRADI08G01540, VRADI09G02590, VRADI08G00110, VRADI02G14240, and VRADI02G00430 in the roots, cotyledons, seeds, leaves, shoot apical meristems, and flowers. The identified SNPs and putative candidate genes provide valuable genetic information for fostering genomic studies and marker-assisted breeding programs that improve yield and agronomic traits in mungbean.

Modification of the Structural and Functional Characteristics of Mung Bean Globin Polyphenol Complexes: Exploration under Heat Treatment Conditions

During the storage and processing of mung beans, proteins and polyphenols are highly susceptible to interactions with each other. Using globulin extracted from mung beans as the raw material, the study combined it with ferulic acid (FA; phenolic acid) and vitexin (flavonoid). Physical and chemical indicators were combined with spectroscopy and kinetic methods, relying on SPSS and peak fit data to statistically analyze the conformational and antioxidant activity changes of mung bean globulin and two polyphenol complexes before and after heat treatment and clarify the differences and the interaction mechanism between globulin and the two polyphenols. The results showed that, with the increase in polyphenol concentration, the antioxidant activity of the two compounds increased significantly. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the mung bean globulin-FA complex was stronger. However, after heat treatment, the antioxidant activity of the two compounds decreased significantly. The interaction mechanism of the mung bean globulin-FA/vitexin complex was static quenching, and heat treatment accelerated the occurrence of the quenching phenomenon. Mung bean globulin and two polyphenols were combined through a hydrophobic interaction. However, after heat treatment, the binding mode with vitexin changed to an electrostatic interaction. The infrared characteristic absorption peaks of the two compounds shifted to different degrees, and new peaks appeared in the areas of 827 cm^-1, 1332 cm^-1, and 812 cm^-1. Following the interaction between mung bean globulin and FA/vitexin, the particle size decreased, the absolute value of zeta potential increased, and the surface hydrophobicity decreased. After heat treatment, the particle size and zeta potential of the two composites decreased significantly, and the surface hydrophobicity and stability increased significantly. The antioxidation and thermal stability of the mung bean globulin-FA were better than those of the mung bean globulin-vitexin complex. This study aimed to provide a theoretical reference for the protein-polyphenol interaction mechanism and a theoretical basis for the research and development of mung bean functional foods.

Effect of optimized germination technology on polyphenol content and hypoglycemic activity of mung bean

The study aimed to investigate the effect of germination conditions on the content of polyphenol extract in mung bean and to further investigate the effect of polyphenol extract in germinated mung bean on diabetic mice. Through single factor experiment and response surface experiment, the effects of soaking temperature, soaking time, germination temperature, germination time and soaking liquid CaCl2 concentration on the polyphenol content of mung bean were analyzed. The optimal germination conditions of mung bean were determined as soaking temperature 25°C, soaking time 11 h, germination temperature 28°C, germination time 3 days and CaCl2 concentration 2 mM. Under these conditions, the content of polyphenol extract in germinated mung bean was 4.878 ± 0.30 mg/g, which was 3.07 times higher than that in ungerminated mung bean. The structure and content of purified polyphenols in germinated mung bean were determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Quinic acid, Quercetin, Rutin, Vitexin, Isovitexin and other substances were identified, and the content of polyphenols was 65.19%. In addition, through the in vivo and in vitro hypoglycemic activity experimental study of germinated mung bean polyphenols extract, the results showed that germinated mung bean polyphenols had an in vitro inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase, IC50 was 44.45 mg/ml. In vitro inhibitory activity was stronger after digestion. Polyphenol extract can significantly reduce blood sugar and improve insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetic mice (T2DM). According to the results, germination treatment is an effective way to increase the content of polyphenols in mung bean, and the polyphenols extract has hypoglycemic activity.

Elucidation of the potential antioxidant compound and mechanism of mung bean using network pharmacology and in vitro anti-oxidative activity

Mung bean is rich in bioactive components, but the main compound and pharmacological mechanism in reducing oxidative and free radical damage are unclear. Network pharmacology and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities were employed to uncover the antioxidant mechanism of potentially active compounds, considering the interactions between mung bean targets and oxidative and free radical damage. These key targets were analyzed by protein–protein interactions (PPIs), and key genes were used to find the biological pathway and therapeutic mechanism by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. The results showed that five antioxidant components and 18 mung bean targets were screened. β-carotene and vitexin both played a crucial role in mung bean against oxidative and free radical damage, and the ABTS radical scavenging activities of β-carotene and vitexin were 94.84 and 87.79%, which were equivalent to those of vitamin C. Key targets may be AR, HSP90AA1, MYC, and CASP3 for mung bean to exert antioxidant activity. GO and KEGG indicated that mung bean may mainly act on thyroid hormone signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, etc. In vitro antioxidant activity tests showed that the bioactive ingredients of mung beans had great antioxidant activity. Network pharmacology analysis also revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms of oxidative and free radical damage. This study provides new insights and evidence to explore the bioactive compounds and biological functions of food cereals and legumes, as well as a reference for the functional evaluation of food ingredients and the development of functional foods.

Agronomic Traits, Fresh Food Processing Characteristics and Sensory Quality of 26 Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.) Cultivars (Fabaceae) in China

In recent years, with the expansion of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) planting areas and the increase of consumer demand, it has become imperative to screen high-quality mung bean cultivars. In this study, the agronomic traits, fresh bean characteristics, and sensory evaluation of boiled beans were analyzed for 26 mung bean cultivars. The results showed that the variation coefficient and genetic diversity index of six agronomic traits of mung bean ranged from 9.04% to 44.98%, 1.68 to 1.96, respectively, with abundant genetic variation, and the highest was the grain yield. Mung bean cultivars with higher grain yield had more advantage in the number of branches, number of pods per plant, and 100-seed weight. The fresh bean traits were relatively stable, with an average coefficient variation of 8.48%. The trait with the highest genetic diversity index was the number of seeds per pod (2.03). The cultivar with the highest total sensory evaluation score of boiled beans was Zhanglv 3 (75.67), which had more advantages in taste and color. Through the comprehensive evaluation of grey relational analysis, the cultivars suitable for fresh food processing were Zhonglv 3 (0.960), Jilv 11 (0.942), Zhonglv 1 (0.915), CES-78 (0.899) and Kelv 2 (0.896). Generally, the high-quality cultivars with higher yield and fresh food processing characteristics were CES-78, Kelv 2, Zhonglv 16, and Zhonglv 2. This study provided a preference for the breeding of fresh mung bean cultivars, development of new products and improvement of mung bean resource utilization.

Steam explosion enhances phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in mung beans

Steam explosion (SE), as a physicochemical pretreatment process, has the dual effect of high temperature and high pressure. In this study, SE was applied to pretreat mung beans to increase phenolic extraction and their antioxidant activity. It can make the material loose and porous, which is beneficial to the release of phenolic compounds from mung beans. Insoluble‐bound phenolics (IBPs) were the dominating fraction, followed by glycosidic phenolics (GPs) and esterified phenolics (EPs), and free phenolics (FPs) were the lowest in mung beans. After SE, the maximum contents of FPs, EPs, GPs, IBPs, and total phenolics were detected at 0.75 MPa for 30 s, which were 1.47‐, 1.87‐, 1.73‐, 1.48‐, and 1.58‐fold compared with the untreated samples, respectively. On the whole, the effect of SE on phenolics in mung beans first increased and then decreased. SE increased the contents of protocatechuic acid, p‐coumaric acid, ferulic acid, catechin, and epicatechin; but there was a decrease in caffeic acid. Compared with the untreated samples, the antioxidant activity of FPs, GPAs, EPs, and IBPs was also improved by SE. The relationship between the phenolic content and antioxidant activity was very high with coefficients of 2,2′‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐ sulfonic acid) > 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl > ferric reducing antioxidant power. In conclusion, an appropriate SE can lead to a more efficient extraction of phenolics and improvement of antioxidant activity in mung beans.

Nutritional, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of 24 mung bean (Vigna radiate L.) genotypes

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the proximate and phytochemicals present in seeds of 24 mung bean (Vigna radiate L.) genotypes from four provinces of China for estimating their nutritional and antioxidant properties. Proximate analysis of mung bean genotypes revealed that starch, protein, fat, ash and water-soluble polysaccharide ranged from 39.54–60.66, 17.36–24.89, 4.24–12.18, 2.78–3.53 and 1.99–2.96 g/100 g respectively. The five principal fatty acids detected in mung beans were stearic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and linolenic acid. The contents of insoluble-bound phenolic compounds, soluble phenolic compounds, and flavonoids ranged from 0.78 to 1.5 mg GAE g− 1, 1.78 to 4.10 mg GAE g− 1, and 1.25 to 3.52 mg RE g− 1, respectively. The black seed coat mung bean genotype M13 (Suheilv 1) exhibited highest flavonoid and phenolic contents which showed strong antioxidant activity. Two flavonoids (vitexin and isovitexin) and four phenolic acids (caffeic, syringic acid, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids) were identified by HPLC. Vitexin and isovitexin were the major phenolic compounds in all mung bean genotypes. The content of soluble phenolic compounds had positive correlation with DPPH (r2 = 0.713) and ABTS (r2 = 0.665) radical scavenging activities. Principal component analysis indicated that the first two principal components could reflect most details on mung bean with a cumulative contribution rate of 66.1%. Twenty-four mung bean genotypes were classified into four groups based on their phenolic compounds contents and antioxidant activities. The present study highlights the importance of these mung bean genotypes as a source of nature antioxidant ingredient for the development of functional foods or a source of health promoting food.

Graphical Abstract