Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 202-220 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 211 Studies using high-fat diet models have shown that whole mung beans or diets supplemented with mung beans reduce liver lesions, increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and SOD, and decrease MDA levels. These findings indicate that mung beans can protect the liver from oxidative damage associated with hyperlipidemia (Yousef, 2022). In oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells, ethanol extracts of mung bean restore intracellular lipid levels, reduce MDA content, and increase antioxidant enzyme activity. In insulin-resistant liver cell models, exosome-like nanoparticles derived from mung bean sprouts improve cell viability, reduce oxidative stress, promote Nrf2 nuclear translocation, and activate the PI3K/Akt/GLUT4/GSK-3β signaling pathway, thereby enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity (Liu et al., 2019). 7 Gut Health and Immune Regulation 7.1 Regulation of gut microbiota composition Polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, and their fermentation products from mung bean can continuously regulate the composition of the gut microbiota. During in vitro human fecal fermentation, polyphenol-rich mung bean seed coat extracts significantly increased the total production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). They also selectively promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria, including Enterococcus, Ruminococcus, Blautia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Prevotella, while inhibiting the growth of Escherichia–Shigella (Charoensiddhi et al., 2022). In mice fed a high-fat diet, supplementation with cooked whole mung beans or whole mung bean flour effectively prevented gut microbiota imbalance. It reduced the abundance of obesity-related bacteria, such as Ruminiclostridium_9, Mucispirillum, Bilophila, Blautia, and Odoribacter, while increasing the abundance of Muribaculaceae, Akkermansia, and Bifidobacterium. These changes in the gut microbiota were significantly associated with obesity-related metabolic indicators (Hou et al., 2020c). In prediabetic mice, supplementation with mung bean seed coat promoted the growth of Roseburia and Bifidobacterium and increased SCFA production. Mung bean peptides also reversed gut microbiota imbalance caused by a high-fat diet, improved microbial diversity, and regulated the abundance of several key bacterial genera, including Akkermansia, Roseburia, and Ruminiclostridium. These microbial changes were closely related to host metabolism and redox metabolites (Li et al., 2022). In addition, products prepared from mung bean protein also promoted the growth of Parabacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus during in vitro fecal fermentation. At the same time, they inhibited the growth of Escherichia–Shigella, Dorea, and Klebsiella, accompanied by increased production of SCFAs and branched-chain fatty acids (Tampanna et al., 2024). 7.2 Prebiotic effects of mung bean polysaccharides A water-soluble polysaccharide (MBP-02) isolated from mung bean seed coat showed clear prebiotic activity in mice. MBP-02 increased colon length, enhanced SCFA production, and improved the α-diversity indices (Chao1 and ACE). It also changed the gut microbiota structure by increasing the abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Clostridium, while reducing the abundance of TM7. These changes are considered beneficial for maintaining gut health. Dietary fibers from plant polysaccharides can be degraded by intestinal microorganisms and therefore have "potential prebiotic activity." They improve gut health by reshaping the gut microbial community and promoting SCFA production, further supporting the potential application of mung bean polysaccharides as prebiotic candidates (Wang et al., 2024). Fermented mung bean starch liquid (MBSFL), which is rich in polysaccharides and organic acids, relieved antibiotic-induced constipation in mice. It improved intestinal motility, restored gut microbial diversity, and promoted the enrichment of SCFA-producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Tao et al. (2025) described it as a "diet-derived prebiotic candidate." In cyclophosphamide-treated mice, mung bean ethanol extract restored the balance between Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, reduced the abundance of potential pathogenic bacteria, and increased the abundance of
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