Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 202-220 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 203 Research on the health effects of mung bean bioactive compounds has grown rapidly in recent years. Studies include in vitro experiments, animal models, and a limited number of clinical investigations, with particular attention given to the prevention and management of chronic degenerative diseases. Mung bean and its extracts have shown multiple pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and hepatoprotective effects. These properties suggest that mung bean has potential as a dietary intervention for the prevention of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. Different bioactive fractions, such as mung bean polysaccharides, proteins and peptides, and metabolites from sprouts, have also demonstrated potential in regulating the gut microbiota, improving hepatic lipid metabolism, and reducing stress responses (Karami et al., 2025). This review summarizes the nutritional value and traditional medicinal uses of mung bean as a medicinal and edible resource. It then focuses on the major bioactive components in mung bean seeds and sprouts, including polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, and bioactive peptides, with emphasis on their composition, structural characteristics, and dynamic changes during germination and other processing methods. Based on available evidence from in vitro studies, animal experiments, and limited clinical studies, this review further summarizes the main health benefits of mung bean, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, metabolic regulatory, cardiovascular protective, antitumor, and gut microbiota-modulating effects. In addition, it evaluates the potential application of mung bean in the development of functional foods and nutritional supplements. Finally, the current limitations in studies on mechanisms of action, preparation standardization, and safety evaluation are discussed, and future research priorities and directions are proposed. 2 Bioactive Components of Mung Bean 2.1 Polyphenols and phenolic acids The main polyphenols in mung bean include phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. These compounds are widely distributed in both the cotyledons and seed coat, but they are much more concentrated in the seed coat (Kabré et al., 2022). The phenolic acids identified in mung bean include caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, and neochlorogenic acid. These compounds are found in both mung bean seeds and sprouts. Metabolomic studies during germination have also revealed several groups of phenolic compounds, including coumarins and isoflavones. A significant positive correlation has been observed between total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity among different mung bean genotypes, indicating that phenolic compounds are the major contributors to the free radical scavenging activity of mung bean. Since the seed coat contains much higher levels of polyphenols than other tissues, it exhibits stronger antioxidant activity and is considered a valuable source of functional food ingredients (Wu et al., 2026). Germination, as well as specific treatments such as ultrasound combined with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), can significantly increase the polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of mung bean sprouts. 2.2 Flavonoids Vitexin and isovitexin are the major flavonoids found in mung bean seeds and have been consistently detected in different varieties and geographical origins. They are C-glycosyl derivatives of apigenin and are mainly accumulated in the seed coat, where they account for more than 95% of the total vitexin and isovitexin present in mung bean (Ganesan and Xu, 2018). These two flavonoids have a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral, anticancer, and hepatoprotective effects. Therefore, they are regarded as two of the most important bioactive compounds in mung bean. In addition to vitexin and isovitexin, mung bean also contains many other flavonoids, such as rutin, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, isoquercitrin, genistein, daidzein, isorhamnetin, as well as several isoflavones and lignans. These compounds contribute to the rich polyphenol profile of mung bean. Yang et al. (2020) further identified several additional flavonoids in different mung bean varieties, demonstrating the remarkable chemical diversity of this crop. These flavonoids play an important role in the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of mung bean extracts.
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