Modification of In Vitro and In Vivo Antioxidant Activity by Consumption of Cooked Chickpea in a Colon Cancer Model

Proximate composition, fungal isolation and contamination of aflatoxin B1 in chickpea seeds from the Punjab, Pakistan

Chickpea, Cicer arietinum L., is a nutrient rich crop that is widely cultivated and consumed in Pakistan. However, chickpea is highly prone to fungal growth leading to contamination with aflatoxins, the most potent carcinogen found in nature. In this study, fifty chickpea seed samples were collected from the local markets of the Punjab, Pakistan, to evaluate their nutritional quality, fungal and AFB1 contamination. Proximate analysis suggested that chickpea seeds contained 5.5-6.93% moisture, 62.24-63.24% carbohydrates, 22.75-23.44% protein, 4.99-5.4% fat, 5.62-5.84% fiber and 2.92-3.16% ash. Morphological identification techniques revealed fourteen fungal species belonging to six fungal genera from which Aspergillus flavus was the leading contaminant. AFB1 analysis revealed that sixty-two percent samples were contaminated with AFB1. All the AFB1 positive samples contained AFB1 level more than 2 ppb and 12.9% samples contain AFB1 level more than 20 ppb, exceeded the maximum limit (ML) assigned by EU and USA (FDA & FAO) respectively. The results of the present studies reported that chickpea is a highly contaminated commodity in terms of fungi and AFB1 that's why further investigations and monitoring are required to reduce the fungal and AFB1 contamination. These baseline data are an initial step in the effort to deal with this significant food safety issue.

Chemopreventive Effect of Cooked Chickpea on Colon Carcinogenesis Evolution in AOM/DSS-Induced Balb/c Mice

Chickpeas are one of the most widely consumed legumes worldwide and they might prevent diseases such as cancer. Therefore, this study evaluates the chemopreventive effect of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) on the evolution of colon carcinogenesis induced with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in a mice model at 1, 7, and 14 weeks after induction. Accordingly, the expression of biomarkers-such as argyrophilic nucleolar organizing regions (AgNOR), cell proliferation nuclear antigen (PCNA), β-catenin, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-was assessed in the colon of BALB/c mice fed diets supplemented with 10 and 20% cooked chickpea (CC). The results showed that a 20% CC diet significantly reduced tumors and biomarkers of proliferation and inflammation in AOM/DSS-induced colon cancer mice. Moreover, body weight loss decreased and the disease activity index (DAI) was lower than the positive control. Lastly, tumor reduction was more evident at week 7 in the groups fed a 20% CC diet. In conclusion, both diets (10% and 20% CC) exert a chemopreventive effect.

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants-A Critical Review on In Vitro Antioxidant Assays

Antioxidants have been widely studied in the fields of biology, medicine, food, and nutrition sciences. There has been extensive work on developing assays for foods and biological systems. The scientific communities have well-accepted the effectiveness of endogenous antioxidants generated in the body. However, the health efficacy and the possible action of exogenous dietary antioxidants are still questionable. This may be attributed to several factors, including a lack of basic understanding of the interaction of exogenous antioxidants in the body, the lack of agreement of the different antioxidant assays, and the lack of specificity of the assays, which leads to an inability to relate specific dietary antioxidants to health outcomes. Hence, there is significant doubt regarding the relationship between dietary antioxidants to human health. In this review, we documented the variations in the current methodologies, their mechanisms, and the highly varying values for six common food substrates (fruits, vegetables, processed foods, grains, legumes, milk, and dairy-related products). Finally, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the antioxidant assays and examine the challenges in correlating the antioxidant activity of foods to human health.

Biological functions of peptides from legumes in gastrointestinal health. A review legume peptides with gastrointestinal protection

Extensively consumed worldwide, legumes such as beans, soybeans, chickpeas, and peas represent a great source of protein. Legume-derived proteins provide bioactive peptides, small sequences of amino acids produced by enzymatic hydrolysis, gastrointestinal digestion, fermentation, or germination. Recent studies showed diverse biological effects of these peptides as antioxidants, antihypertensives, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antidiabetic, hypocholesterolemic, and even immunomodulators. These beneficial effects aid in preventing and treating chronic illnesses, particularly inflammatory disorders, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, this work discusses these biological functions in gastrointestinal digestion health of bioactive peptides obtained from common beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, and other legumes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Knowledge of the nutraceutical properties of legumes can encourage the use of these seeds as ingredients in the development and design of functional foods.

Roles of Lipid Peroxidation-Derived Electrophiles in Pathogenesis of Colonic Inflammation and Colon Cancer

Redox stress is a common feature of gut disorders such as colonic inflammation (inflammatory bowel disease or IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). This leads to increased colonic formation of lipid-derived electrophiles (LDEs) such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), malondialdehyde (MDA), trans, trans-2,4-decadienal (tt-DDE), and epoxyketooctadecenoic acid (EKODE). Recent research by us and others support that treatment with LDEs increases the severity of colitis and exacerbates the development of colon tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo, supporting a critical role of these compounds in the pathogenesis of IBD and CRC. In this review, we will discuss the effects and mechanisms of LDEs on development of IBD and CRC and lifestyle factors, which could potentially affect tissue levels of LDEs to regulate IBD and CRC development.

Organic Black Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, Present More Phenolic Compounds and Better Nutritional Profile Than Nonorganic

Brazil is the world’s third largest common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) producer, and 60% of its population consumes this legume. Although organic farming is a sustainable alternative to nonorganic agriculture, its effect on chemical composition is still controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate differences in the nutritional and phenolic compounds profiles between organically and nonorganically produced Brazilian black beans. Samples were obtained from the same harvest periods and from near geographical locations at metropolitan and coastal regions of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. No residues of 294 evaluated pesticides were detected in the samples. In both regions, organic beans had 17% fewer lipids, 10% less phytate and 20% more proteins when compared to nonorganic ones. Sixteen different phenolic compounds were identified as soluble and insoluble forms in black beans, with anthocyanins being the most abundant (on average, 66%). In both regions, soluble and total phenolic compounds contents in organic beans were consistently higher (on average, 25% and 28%, respectively) than in nonorganic ones. Our results show that organic farming improves the nutritional profile and increases the phenolic compounds content of black beans.

Biochemical Profiling for Antioxidant and Therapeutic Potential of Pakistani Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genetic Resource

In Pakistan, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are the largest grown legume crops, especially in desert areas. Along with an excellent source of nutrition, chickpea seeds have discernible medicinal and antioxidant characteristics. The diverse set of 90 chickpea genotypes (66 desi and 24 kabuli) were collected from different research zones in Pakistan, and seed flour was used for biochemical profiling. Genotypes were significantly different (Tukey HSD test, P < 0.05) for the traits under investigation. In non-enzymatic antioxidants, highest seed total phenolic contents (TPC) (34725 ± 275 μM/g s. wt.) was found in CM-98 (desi), ascorbic acid (AsA) (69.23 ± 2.25 μg/g s. wt.) in WH-3 (desi), and total flavonoid content (TFC) (394.98 ± 13.06 μg/mL sample) was detected in WH-11 (desi). In the class of enzymatic antioxidants, the highest seed ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (1680 ± 40 Units/g s. wt.) was detected in Tamman-2013 (kabuli), peroxidases (POD) (2564.10 ± 233.10 Units/g s. wt.) activity in CM1235/08 (desi), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (279.76 ± 50 Units/g s. wt.) was detected in CH24/11 (desi). Highest seed catalase activity (CAT) (893 ± 50 Units/g s. wt.) and proline content (272.50 ± 20.82 μg/g s. wt.) was detected in an ICC-4951 (desi). In hydrolytic enzymes, the highest activity of esterase (37.05 μM/min/g s. wt) was found in, CH56/09(Kabuli), protease (11080 ± 10 Units/g s. wt.) in Karak-2 (desi), and α-amylase (213.02 ± 3.20 mg/g s. wt.) was observed in CH74/08 (kabuli). In other biochemical parameters, the highest seed total oxidant status (TOS) (356 ± 17.50 μM/g s. wt.) was detected in CM3457/91 (desi); malondialdehyde (MDA) content (295.74 ± 3.097 uM/g s. wt.) was observed in CM-2008 (kabuli), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (8.36 ± 0.082 μM/g s. wt.) was found in CM-72 (desi). In case of pigment analysis, Sheenghar-2000 (desi) depicted highest lycopene (12.579 ± 0.313 μg/g s. wt.) and total carotenoids (58.430.23 ± 0.569 μg/g s. wt.) contents. For seed therapeutic potential, the highest seed α-amylase inhibition (82.33 ± 8.06%) was observed in CM-88 (desi), while WH-1, WH-6, and ICCV-96030 (desi) depicted the highest value for seed anti-inflammatory potential (78.88 ± 0.55%). Genotypes with the highest antioxidant and therapeutic potential can be utilized as a natural antioxidant source and in breeding programs aimed at improving these traits in new breeding lines.

Identification and Comparison of Peptides from Chickpea Protein Hydrolysates Using Either Bromelain or Gastrointestinal Enzymes and Their Relationship with Markers of Type 2 Diabetes and Bitterness

The chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important pulses worldwide. The objective was to identify, compare and evaluate peptides from chickpea hydrolysates produced by two enzymatic treatments. The antidiabetic potential and bitterness of the peptides and induction of bitter receptors were identified in silico. Proteins were isolated from the Kabuli variety. Peptides were produced from the proteins using a simulated digestive system (pepsin/pancreatin, 1:50 Enzyme/Protein, E/P), and these peptides were compared with those produced via bromelain hydrolysis (1:50 E/P). The protein profiles, sequences and characteristics of the peptides were evaluated. The biochemical inhibition and molecular docking of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), α-amylase and α-glucosidase were also studied. The molecular docking identified peptides from enzymatic hydrolysis as inhibitors of DPP-IV. The high hydrophobicity of the peptides indicated the potential for bitterness. There was no correlation between peptide length and DPP-IV binding. Peptides sequenced from the pepsin/pancreatin hydrolysates, PHPATSGGGL and YVDGSGTPLT, had greater affinity for the DPP-IV catalytic site than the peptides from the bromelain hydrolysates. These results are in agreement with their biochemical inhibition, when considering the inhibition of sitagliptin (54.3 µg/mL) as a standard. The bitter receptors hTAS2R38, hTAS2R5, hTAS2R7 and hTAS2R14 were stimulated by most sequences, which could be beneficial in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Chickpea hydrolysates could be utilized as functional ingredients to be included in the diet for the prevention of diabetes.