Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 202-220 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 208 For lipid metabolism, mung bean protein and its extracts regulate the expression of genes related to hepatic cholesterol synthesis, bile acid metabolism, and lipid synthesis. As a result, they reduce circulating blood lipid levels and alleviate hepatic steatosis (Hou et al., 2020a). Whole mung beans and their seed coats can also reshape the gut microbiota. They increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Roseburia, and Akkermansia, and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These changes are closely associated with improvements in glucose and lipid metabolism. 4.4 Potential mechanisms of metabolic regulation Both crude mung bean extracts and purified bioactive peptides can inhibit the activities of intestinal α-amylase and α-glucosidase. This reduces postprandial blood glucose fluctuations and is considered one of the main reasons for the hypoglycemic effect of mung beans. At the cellular level, mung bean water extracts inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B) activity and regulate the expression of key genes such as FOXO1, PEPCK, and GSK-3β, thereby improving insulin signaling in liver cells. Exosome-like nanoparticles and bioactive peptides from mung beans can activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, promote GLUT4 translocation, and regulate signaling pathways such as AMPK and JAK2. These effects enhance glucose utilization in the liver and skeletal muscle (Yoshioka et al., 2023). For lipid metabolism, mung bean protein inhibits hepatic lipogenesis by downregulating the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). At the same time, it increases the expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), promotes fecal sterol excretion, and consequently lowers serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels (Kohno et al., 2018). 5 Cardiovascular Protective Effects 5.1 Blood pressure regulation Mung bean has a clear antihypertensive effect. This activity is mainly related to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides produced during protein hydrolysis or fermentation. Mung bean protein hydrolysates prepared with Alcalase protease significantly reduced systolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). After a single oral dose of 600 mg/kg, systolic blood pressure decreased by about 30.8 mmHg at 6 h after administration, and the antihypertensive effect lasted for at least 8 h (Hou et al., 2020b). In vitro studies and research on functional foods further support this mechanism. Protein hydrolysates from Vigna species, including mung bean, showed high ACE-1 inhibitory activity, with inhibition rates ranging from 80% to 93%. Therefore, they are considered promising ingredients for antihypertensive functional foods and nutritional supplements (Yuwanti et al., 2020). Fermented mung bean tempeh extracts showed an ACE inhibitory activity of approximately 75%, indicating that appropriate processing methods can promote the formation of highly active antihypertensive peptides (Muawanah et al., 2022). Clinical studies have also provided supporting evidence. In a 6-week intervention study involving middle-aged participants, consumption of a mung bean protein beverage improved flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Muchimapura et al. (2024) suggested that ACE inhibition is one of the important mechanisms responsible for the improvement of vascular function (Figure 2). 5.2 Improvement of blood lipid profile Mung bean consumption can regulate lipid metabolism. In hamsters fed a high-cholesterol diet, mung bean protein dose-dependently reduced total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL cholesterol). These effects may be associated with increased expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), as well as enhanced bile acid and sterol excretion (Hou et al., 2019).
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