Inclusion of Limited Amounts of Extruded Legumes Plus Cereal Mixes in Normocaloric or Obesogenic Diets for Rats: Effects on Lipid Profile.

Overweight and obesity are regarded as world epidemics and are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Two new highly palatable extruded mixes based on rice and pea (Pisum sativum) or kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) meals were incorporated into normocaloric or obesogenic diets for rats at a low inclusion level (25%). Our purpose was to evaluate the effects of dietary incorporation of this new food ingredient on lipid profile. Organs (heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, small intestine, colon, cecum) and visceral fat relative weights were different (p < 0.01) from controls for animals fed the obesogenic diets and in rats fed extruded diets with respect to controls. Faecal excretion of bile acids was higher (p < 0.01) for rats fed extruded mixes compared with controls. The inclusion of extruded mixes replacing part of the casein in the control diet lowered liver cholesterol and triglycerides (p < 0.001) and plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL; p < 0.01) values, although plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was unaltered. Both the inclusion of extruded mixes and the use of obesogenic diets resulted in significantly (p < 0.001) different long chain fatty acid (LCFA) profiles in liver and visceral fat. Incorporating extruded legume plus cereal mixes beneficially influenced lipid metabolism, and would therefore deserve closer attention in human intervention studies, particularly with adolescents. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the nutritional and physiological effects of extruded legume plus cereal mixes.

HLA-DQB1*03:01:01:21Q, a novel HLA-DQB1 allele, detected in a Spanish volunteer bone marrow donor.

HLA-DQB1*03:01:01:21Q differs from HLA-DQB1*03:01:01:03 by a single-nucleotide substitution (G → A) at position 1 of intron 3.

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed albumin extracts show anti-inflammatory effect in the DSS model of mouse colitis.

SCOPE: This study investigates the preventive effects of two pea (Pisum sativum) seed albumin extracts, either in the presence (pea seed extract [PSE]) or absence (albumin fraction from PSE [AF-PSE]) of soluble polysaccharides, in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced colitis in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to five groups: one noncolitic and four colitic. Colitis was induced by incorporating DSS (3.5%) in the drinking water for 4 days, after which DSS was removed. Treated groups received orally PSE (15 g/kg⋅day), or AF-PSE (1.5 g/kg⋅day), or pure soy Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI; 50 mg/kg⋅day), starting 2 wk before colitis induction, and maintained for 9 days after. All treated groups showed intestinal anti-inflammatory effect, evidenced by reduced microscopic histological damage in comparison with untreated colitic mice. The treatments ameliorated the colonic mRNA expression of different proinflammatory markers: cytokines, inducible enzymes, metalloproteinases, adhesion molecules, and toll-like receptors, as well as proteins involved in maintaining the epithelial barrier function. Furthermore, the administration of PSE, AF-PSE, or soy BBI restored bacterial counts, partially or totally, to values in healthy mice. CONCLUSION: PSE and AF-PSE ameliorated DSS-induced damage to mice, their effects being due, at least partially, to the presence of active BBI.

Anti-carcinogenic soyabean Bowman-Birk inhibitors survive faecal fermentation in their active form and do not affect the microbiota composition in vitro.

Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) from soyabeans is a naturally occurring protease inhibitor with potential anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive properties within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In a previous paper, we reported that significant amounts of BBI-related proteins reach the terminal ileum functionally and biologically active. We have now investigated: (a) if soyabean BBI is biotransformed by faecal microbiota which would reduce its potential colorectal chemopreventive properties and (b) the potential influence of this protease inhibitor on the modulation of faecal microbiota. In vitro incubation studies of native soyabean BBI at a physiological level (93 microM) with mixed faecal samples of pigs for 24 h at 37 degrees C demonstrated that BBI remains active and its intrinsic trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activities were not significantly influenced by the enzymic or metabolic activity of faecal microbiota. Soyabean BBI did not affect the growth of the different bacterial groups studied (lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, bacteroides, coliforms, enterobacteria, clostridia and total anaerobes). It was concluded that protease inhibitory activities, intrinsically linked to the chemopreventive properties of soyabean BBI, were largely unaffected by faecal microbiota in vitro. BBI retains significance, therefore, as a bioactive compound in the human GIT.

Uptake of 2S albumin allergens, Ber e 1 and Ses i 1, across human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayers.

We have investigated the absorption rates of two purified major allergen 2S albumins, Ber e 1 from Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa Humb. & Bonpl.) and Ses i 1 from white sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.), across human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayers following gastrointestinal digestion in vitro. The transport from apical to basolateral side in cell monolayers was evaluated by RP-HPLC-UV and indirect competitive ELISA methods, being confirmed by western-blotting analysis. Significant amounts (approximately 15-25 nmol micromol(-1) initial amount/h) of intact Ber e 1 and Ses i 1 were found in the basolateral side. The absorption rates of both plant allergens through the cell monolayer were shown to be constant during the whole incubation period (4 h at 37 degrees C), verifying that the permeability of the membrane was not altered by the allergen digests. Our findings revealed that both purified 2S albumin allergens may be able to survive in immunologically reactive forms to the simulated harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract to be transported across the Caco-2 cell monolayers, so that they would be able to sensitize the mucosal immune system and/or elicit an allergic response.

Transport of amino acids from in vitro digested legume proteins or casein in Caco-2 cell cultures.

Purified legume storage proteins (chickpea 11S and 7S globulins, faba bean globulins, and lupin globulins) and casein (casein) were subjected to an in vitro enzyme (pepsin + pancreatin) digestion process. Protein digests were then used in a bicameral Caco-2 cell culture system to determine amino acid transport across the cell monolayer. With digests from legume proteins, absolute amounts of aspartate, glycine, and arginine transported were higher than those found in digested casein, whereas amounts of glutamate, proline, tyrosine, valine, and lysine were lower. However, proportions of amino acids in the basolateral chamber as compared with amounts added in the apical chamber were lower than casein controls for all amino acids except cystine. Results confirm previous in vivo observations that amino acids from legume proteins are probably absorbed at rates different from those in other proteins of animal origin such as casein.