Updating the research on the chemopreventive and therapeutic role of the peptide lunasin

Abstract

Chronic diseases have become the medical challenge of the 21st century because of their high incidence and mortality rates. Modulation of diet and lifestyle habits is considered as the best strategy for the prevention of these disorders. Health promoting benefits beyond their nutritional effects have been described for multiple dietary compounds. Among these compounds, the peptide lunasin is considered as one of the most promising. Naturally present in soybean, lunasin has been extensively studied in the last two decades because of its potential against chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and immunological disorders. The purpose of this article is to summarise the evidence on the presence of lunasin in soybean and derived foods, and its bioavailability once it is orally ingested. The protective and therapeutic effects of this peptide against cancer, oxidative stress, inflammation, and high cholesterol levels as well as the molecular mechanisms of action involved in these effects are also described in this review. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Chemoprevention by means of soy proteins and peptides – current status and future approaches: a review

“…Lunasin, a 43‐amino acid peptide, was first identified in the soybean and then found in a variety of cereals, including barley, wheat, rye, triticale and oat seeds, being present at various concentrations ranging from 13 to 6458 μg/(g seeds) (Hsieh et al ., ). Variation of the lunasin concentrations as determined in different cereals means that the genotype, breeding temperature, soil moisture, germination and organic farming systems influence the level of lunasin in seeds.…”

“…Human volunteers consumed 50 g of soy protein for 5 days, and lunasin was detected in blood plasma and this blood level represents ~4.5% absorption. Additionally, when rats were fed soybean lunasin‐enriched diets, after absorption, distribution and metabolism, lunasin was extracted from the liver and still maintained intact structure and biological ability (Hsieh et al ., ). The effect of food processing on this peptide has also been demonstrated lunasin is still detectable in many commercial soybean food products such as soymilk, tofu and bean curd.…”

“…The bioactivities of lunasin include chemopreventive, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidation and immunoregulatory effects and regulation of cholesterol and neurological processes. Moreover, the chemopreventive property of lunasin has been documented in both in vitro and in vivo studies (Hernández‐Ledesma & Hsieh, ; Hsieh et al ., ). In early studies, lunasin did not affect the growth and morphology of normal cells, although it prevented the transformation of mammalian cells by chemical carcinogens and viral oncogenes.…”

“…In early studies, lunasin did not affect the growth and morphology of normal cells, although it prevented the transformation of mammalian cells by chemical carcinogens and viral oncogenes. Subsequently, lunasin was found to exert anti‐cancer activities against cancer lines including breast MDA‐MB‐231, MCF‐7 and 4T1 cells, colon HT‐29 and KM12L4 cells, prostate RWPE‐1 cancer cells, non‐small lung H661 cancer cells, melanoma and leukaemia L12120 cancer (Hsieh et al ., ). The possible mechanisms of action of lunasin are normalisation of the cell cycle and cell division, induction of apoptosis, anti‐metastatic action, and inhibition of cellular adhesion and extracellular matrix synthesis.…”

“…The effect of food processing on this peptide has also been demonstrated lunasin is still detectable in many commercial soybean food products such as soymilk, tofu and bean curd. Lunasin, from soybean protein extracts, partially survives the effects of digestive enzymes and food processing, and the lunasin level correlates with BBI or KTI levels, suggesting that protease inhibitors are present simultaneously with lunasin and play a protective role in wild plants (Hsieh et al ., , ; Price et al ., ).…”