Legumes Research Paper

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PHYTOCHEMICALS Legumes contain a number of phytochemicals that have potential health benefits as well as some that can reduce the bioavailability of nutrients. These compounds include saponins, phytic acid, phenolic compounds, enzyme inhibitors, and lectins. Saponins Saponins are amphiphilic compounds present in a wide variety of plants and herbs. Structurally, saponins in food exist as glycosides, with a hydrophobic triterpenoid or steroid (sapogenin) group linked to water-soluble sugar residues. Saponins have been shown to have anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic properties in a variety of in vitro approaches (cell culture) [9]. Polyphenols The seed color of beans is determined by the presence of polyphenolic compounds. The main …show more content…

For analgesic activity aspirin and for anti-inflammatory activities diclofenac was used as standard drugs. It was found that petroleum ether extract showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Further it was reported that the steroids and flavonoids in petroleum ether extract of Phaseolus vulgaris Linn., seeds are responsible for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities[3]. Antimutagenic activity For the experiment with the bean extract, a dose of 300 mg/plate of Ellagic acid (EA) was chosen as the antimutagenic control. Both EA and bean extracts were found to be non-toxic to the bacteria at the concentrations tested. The inhibitory effects of the bean extracts and EA against BwaxP mutagenicity were found to be dose-dependent. The percentages of inhibition produced against BwaxP _2 mg/plate. using 300 mg/plate of EA and for the extracts 500 mg equivalent catechin plate were 82%, 83%, 81% and 83% for EA, water extract, water+methanol extract and methanol extract, respectively. But for 1-NP mutagenicity, the inhibitory effect was shown by methanolic extract only. Hence it was reported as health-promoting food …show more content…

The mechanisms responsible for this apparently protective role may include gene-nutrient interactions and modulation of proteins’ expression

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