Hypocholesterolaemic effect of rat-administered oral doses of the isolated 7S globulins from cowpeas and adzuki beans

Abstract

The role of seed proteins, especially soyabean 7S globulins, in controlling dyslipidaemia is widely acknowledged. Amino acid sequence homology among the proteins of this family could reflect similar biological functions in other species. The aim of the present study was to unveil a hypolipidaemic effect of the 7S globulins from cowpeas (7S-C) and adzuki beans (7S-A), administered orally to rats fed a hypercholesterolaemic (HC; high cholesterol and TAG) diet for 28 d. A total of forty-five rats were divided into five groups (nine rats per group): (1) standard (STD) diet; (2) HC diet; (3) HC diet + 7S-C (300 mg/kg per d); (4) HC diet + 7S-A (300 mg/kg per d); and (5) HC diet + simvastatin (SVT; 50 mg/kg per d), as a control. Significant decreases in food intake and final body weight of rats receiving HC + 7S-C and HC + 7S-A diets compared with groups fed the HC and STD diets were observed. Significant decreases in serum total and non-HDL-cholesterol of 7S-C, 7S-A and SVT groups were also observed. HDL-cholesterol levels increased in the 7S-C, 7S-A and SVT groups, while hepatic cholesterol and TAG concentrations were significantly lower than in the HC diet group for the 7S-C-supplemented group only. Faecal excretions of fat and cholesterol in HC diet groups were considerably higher in animals consuming the 7S globulins. The results show that cowpea and adzuki bean 7S globulins promote cholesterol-decreasing effects in hypercholesterolaemic rats even at low dosages, as already observed for other legume seed storage proteins of this family. This main effect is discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of action.

Hypocholesterolemic impact of newly isolated sophorolipids produced by microbial conversion of safflower oil cake in rats fed high-fat and cholesterol diet

“…Also, according to Pincus and Schaffner (1996), AST and ALT are released markedly into serum as a result of severe hepato-cellular injury. Ferreira et al (2015) reported similar results for the ALT activity in the hypercholesterolemic rats. The increase in the ALT activity continued and became significant in case of the HFHC group which was treated with rosuvastatin (48.00 ± 2.11 U/L) compared to the negative control group (30.33 ± 2.39 U/L) indicating a negative effect of rosuvastatin on the liver.…”

Can pulses play a role in improving cardiometabolic health? Evidence from systematic reviews and meta‐analyses

“…Finally, the 7S globulins component of dietary pulses may decrease LDL‐C. The 7S globulins are a family of proteins commonly found in legumes that have been shown to be involved in the cholesterol‐lowering effects of various legumes, including soybeans and dietary pulses, in cell culture and animal studies. The exact mechanism by which this protein lowers cholesterol, however, is currently unclear …”

Boiled, sprouted, and raw cowpea‐incorporated diets modulate high‐fat diet‐induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

“…Some epidemiological studies have strongly indicated that legume consumption reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases (Bazzano, Thompson, Tees, Nguyen, & Winham, ; Ha et al., ). From previous studies, hypocholesterolemic ability of 7s globulin from cowpeas, cowpea protein isolates, and cowpea seeds was well documented (Ferreira et al., ; Frota, dos Santos Filho, Ribeiro, & Arêas, ; Frota, Mendonça, Saldiva, Cruz, & Arêas, ). From our previous study, we observed that raw cowpea‐incorporated experimental diets modulated serum lipids and serum antioxidant activity in Wistar rats (Perera et al., ; Weththasinghe, Liyanage, Vidanarachchi, Perera, & Jayawardana, ).…”