Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 202-220 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 204 2.3 Bioactive peptides Mung bean protein is an important precursor for the production of bioactive peptides. These peptides are mainly prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis, chemical hydrolysis, or fermentation-assisted hydrolysis of whole seeds or protein isolates. Peptides with relatively low molecular weight and high contents of hydrophobic amino acids generally show stronger biological activities and are therefore preferentially enriched and selected during the preparation process (Shea et al., 2024). Mung bean protein hydrolysates have shown strong antioxidant activity in both the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assays, indicating an excellent ability to scavenge free radicals. Bioactive peptides from mung bean also exhibit beneficial effects in lowering blood pressure and blood glucose, reducing obesity and cholesterol levels, inhibiting cancer development, and improving mineral bioavailability. As a result, they are considered promising ingredients for functional foods, edible packaging films, and active delivery systems (Hou et al., 2023). 2.4 Polysaccharides Mung bean polysaccharides include water-soluble polysaccharides and acidic heteropolysaccharides, which differ considerably in monosaccharide composition and molecular weight. Two polysaccharide fractions, MP1 (83 kDa) and MP2 (45 kDa), differ significantly in uronic acid content and sugar residue composition, and these differences are closely associated with their antioxidant properties (Tang et al., 2014). Mung bean polysaccharides possess various biological activities, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, and antimicrobial effects. They are recognized as one of the major bioactive components responsible for the health-promoting properties of mung bean. Different polysaccharide fractions show complementary free radical scavenging and reducing capacities, suggesting a clear relationship between their structure and biological activity. 2.5 Other functional components Mung bean seeds contain saponins, and the total saponin content varies significantly among different germplasm resources (Desta et al., 2024). These triterpenoid saponins are considered important compounds that help regulate cholesterol metabolism and provide other health benefits in legumes. Phytosterols and related derivatives, such as sitosterol ferulate, have also been identified among the bioactive compounds of mung bean. These substances may contribute to lowering blood lipid levels and reducing inflammation. The mung bean seed coat is rich in dietary fiber and contains most of the polyphenols and flavonoids, including vitexin and isovitexin. As a result, it exhibits strong antioxidant and antidiabetic potential (Supasatyankul et al., 2022). Extracts from the seed coat have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant cells through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms (Pavasutti et al., 2023). During germination, mung bean sprouts undergo substantial metabolic changes. The contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids increase significantly, and new bioactive compounds such as neochlorogenic acid are formed. The antioxidant activity of mung bean sprouts generally reaches its highest level around the third day of germination (Lim et al., 2022). 3 Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Mung Bean 3.1 Antioxidant mechanisms of major bioactive components Mung bean polyphenols, especially vitexin, isovitexin, and other bound phenolic compounds derived from the seed coat, show strong free radical scavenging activity. A study combining network pharmacology with the ABTS radical scavenging assay found that β-carotene and vitexin are the key antioxidant components in mung bean. Their ABTS radical scavenging activity was comparable to that of vitamin C, suggesting that they exert antioxidant effects mainly through efficient single-electron transfer or hydrogen atom donation mechanisms (Kong et al., 2022). Bound polyphenols extracted from mung bean seed coat dietary fiber increased DPPH radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and ABAP inhibition activity in a
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