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Beans ( Phaseolus spp.) are one of the most important legumes for their nutritional value and health benefits in many world regions. In addition to Phaseolus vulgaris , there are four additional species that are cultivated in many regions of the world and are a source of food for human consumption: P. lunatus , P. coccineus , P. polyanthus , and P. acutifolius. In this work, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional compounds of 18 bean accessions, corresponding to four different species of the genus Phaseolus , were analyzed. In addition, their physical characteristics, proximate composition, and amino acid content were determined in order to compare their phytochemical composition and nutritional value. The species closest to each other in terms of essential amino acid content were P. polyanthus with P. vulgaris and P. lunatus with P. coccineus. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between antioxidant activity and flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lectins with all the accessions collected. Significant differences in the content of phenolic compounds were found among the bean species studied. Therefore, in addition to P. vulgaris , other species such as P. coccineus and P. lunatus have high biological and antioxidant potential that could be beneficial to human health when consumed as nutraceutical foods.

Black bean is a source of anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds that are associated with health benefits. This work aimed to optimize the extraction and determine the stability and biological potential of black bean anthocyanin-rich extracts recovered by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The highest concentration of anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds were recovered with SFE using 300 bar, 60 °C and co-solvent ethanol/distilled water (50/50, v / v ). Eleven non-colored phenolic compounds were identified in SFE extract using Ultra performance liquid chromatography - Electrospray ionization-Quadrupole -Time of flight - Mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS). Myricetin, syringic acid, rutin hydrate and chlorogenic acid presented the highest relative area among identified compounds. Compared to leaching extraction, SFE extracts showed a similar storage stability at 4, 25 and 32 °C ( p < 0.05), but with a higher antioxidant potential (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) IC 50 : 0.078 ± 0.01; 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) IC 50 : 0.161 ± 0.03) and antidiabetic potential (α-amylase IC 50 : 124.76 ± 12.97; α-glucosidase IC 50 : 31.30 ± 0.84; dipeptidyl peptidase-IV IC 50 : 0.195 ± 0.01). SFE extraction is an efficient method to obtain anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds with exceptional biological potential.

The Fabaceae family of plants include a variety of seeds with multiple shapes, sizes, and colors; with a great diversity of bioactive compounds found in legume seeds. Legumes are an excellent source of protein, peptides and phytochemicals which are present in significant amounts. These bioactive compounds have been reported to reduce the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCD), such as obesity and type-2 diabetes. In this narrative review, we discuss the biological potential of bioactive compounds found in legumes and the health benefits associated with their consumption as an alternative approach in the management of NCD. Current extraction methods, characteristics of the bioactive compounds, and different in vitro and in vivo studies evaluating the bioactivity of legume bioactives are reviewed and discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

High blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this work was to obtain protein hydrolysates with antihypertensive potential from chia oil industry meal byproduct. Chia seed protein isolates (CPIs) were obtained from chia seed meal byproduct. CPI was hydrolyzed using different proteases (alcalase, pepsin, trypsin, and α-chymotrypsin) and their biological potential was evaluated using in vitro and in silico approaches. Chia seed pepsin protein hydrolysate showed the highest angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition potential IC 50 of 0.128 mg/mL (P < 0.05) compared to the rest of hydrolysates. Peptide sequence LIVSPLAGRL presented the lowest predicted binding energy and highest inhibition potential (-9.5 kcal/mol) compared to other sequenced peptides and positive controls (captopril and lisinopril). Chia peptides showed potential to block angiotensin-converting enzyme by interacting with its catalytic site. Chia seed oil industry meal byproduct could be used as an inexpensive source of protein and bioactive peptides with antihypertensive potential. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research shows an upcycling alternative for chia oil industry byproduct. Chia meal is a rich source of protein and can be used to generate bioactive peptides with antihypertensive potential. Chia protein isolate was obtained from chia meal and hydrolyzed using different enzymes, pepsin showed the highest antihypertensive potential. Chia meal waste could be a low-cost source of protein and protein hydrolysates that could be used as a food ingredient with antihypertensive potential., (© 2019 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

The objective was to evaluate the effect of black bean protein fraction (PFRA), and its derived peptides on glucose uptake, SGLT1 and GLUT2 expression and translocation on Caco-2 cells. The effect of treatments was evaluated on glucose uptake, protein expression and localization and gene expression on Caco-2 cells. PFRA (10 mg/mL) lowered glucose uptake from 27.4% after 30 min to 33.9% after 180 min of treatment compared to untreated control (p < 0.05). All treatments lowered GLUT2 expression after 30 min of treatment compared to untreated control (31.4 to 48.6%, p < 0.05). Similarly, after 24 h of treatment, GLUT2 was decreased in all treatments (23.5% to 48.9%) (p < 0.05). SGLT1 protein expression decreased 18.3% for LSVSVL (100 μM) to 45.1% for PFRA (10 mg/mL) after 24 h. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed a decrease in expression and membrane translocation of GLUT2 and SGLT1 for all treatments compared to untreated control (p < 0.05). Relative gene expression of SLC2A2 (GLUT2) and SLC5A1 (SGLT1) was downregulated significantly up to two-fold change compared to the untreated control after 24 h treatment. Black bean protein fractions are an inexpensive, functional ingredient with significant biological potential to reduce glucose uptake and could be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Black beans contain anthocyanins that could be used as colorants in foods with associated health benefits. The objective was to optimize anthocyanins extraction from black bean coats and evaluate their physicochemical stability and antidiabetes potential. Optimal extraction conditions were 24% ethanol, 1:40 solid-to-liquid ratio and 29°C (P<0.0001). Three anthocyanins were identified by MS ions, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (465.1m/z), petunidin-3-O-glucoside (479.1m/z) and malvidin-3-O-glucoside (493.1m/z). A total of 32mg of anthocyanins were quantified per gram of dry extract. Bean anthocyanins were stable at pH 2.5 and low-temperature 4°C (89.6%), with an extrapolated half-life of 277days. Anthocyanin-rich extracts inhibited α-glucosidase (37.8%), α-amylase (35.6%), dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (34.4%), reactive oxygen species (81.6%), and decreased glucose uptake. Black bean coats are a good source of anthocyanins and other phenolics with the potential to be used as natural-source food colorants with exceptional antidiabetes potential., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diabetes and hypertension are diseases affecting a high proportion of the world population; the use of food-based products such as common bean peptides may contribute to reduce the risk of complications associated to chronic diseases. The aim was to produce and characterize peptides from common bean protein isolates and evaluate their potential to inhibit markers of type-2 diabetes, hypertension and oxidative stress., Results: Mexican black and Brazilian Carioca bean isolated proteins were characterized after pepsin/pancreatin digestion. Also, four synthesized pure peptides, originally found in these beans, were evaluated. Bean protein digests and pure peptides exerted dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibition (IC 50 = 0.03-0.87 mg dry weight (DW) mL -1 ). Lineweaver-Burk plots and computational modeling showed competitive inhibition of DPP-IV. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition ranged from IC 50 = 0.09 to 0.99 mg DW mL -1 , and α-glucosidase inhibition ranged from 36.3 to 50.1% mg -1 DW. Carioca Perola bean digested proteins presented the highest antioxidant capacity (269.3 mmol L -1 Trolox equivalent g -1 DW) as the peptide KTYGL (P > 0.05) with the most potent DPP-IV and ACE inhibition., Conclusion: Peptides from common bean have antidiabetic and antihypertensive potential regardless of their antioxidant capacity. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Anthocyanin-rich powders and aqueous extracts, with high antioxidant activities, were obtained from black bean seed coats and applied to colour a sport beverage. Idaho and Otomi bean coats were extracted in water-citric acid 2% (1/50, w/v), stirring for 4h at 40°C. Anthocyanins from Idaho and Otomi extracts (1.83mg and 1.02mg C3G/g, respectively) were applied to a commercially available sport beverage, with and without 2% β-cyclodextrin (βCD) under light and darkness conditions for 10days, and stored at 4°C and 25°C for 6weeks. At different light and storage conditions, anthocyanin degradation fitted a first-order reaction model. All bean coat anthocyanins combined with βCD showed extended half-life (up to 13months), higher D-values (up to 43months) and fewer differences in colourimetric properties (lightness, chroma and hue angle) under darkness and 4°C conditions. These black bean coat aqueous extracts and powders might represent natural alternatives to synthetic colorants, ecologically extracted, and with a high antioxidant potential., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The development of resistance to insecticides by the vector of malaria and the increasingly faster appearance of resistance to antimalarial drugs by the parasite can dangerously hamper efforts to control and eradicate the disease. Alternative ways to treat this disease are urgently needed. Here we evaluate the in vitro effect of direct current (DC) capacitive coupling electrical stimulation on the biology and viability of Plasmodium falciparum. We designed a system that exposes infected erythrocytes to different capacitively coupled electric fields in order to evaluate their effect on P. falciparum. The effect on growth of the parasite, replication of DNA, mitochondrial membrane potential and level of reactive oxygen species after exposure to electric fields demonstrate that the parasite is biologically able to respond to stimuli from DC electric fields involving calcium signaling pathways.

Background: Opportunistic fungal infections caused by Aspergillus and Candida followed by infections with Fusarium, Rhizopus, Mucor, and Alternaria species are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Cutaneous mucormycosis infections are rare, and the incidence, outcomes, and factors associated with survival in the setting of hematological malignancies are not clear., Methods: A literature search was conducted for all cases of primary cutaneous mold infections in patients with hematological malignancy, of which 50 cases were found. Our case of a patient with a hematological malignancy who sustained a cat bite that in turn caused a primary cutaneous mold infection is also included., Results: In the 51 cases identified, 66.7% were neutropenic upon presentation, and 54.9% were male with an average age of 32 years. Aspergillus species (33.3%) was the most cited followed by Rhizopus species (19.6%). Overall mortality rate was 29.4% and was observed more frequently in patients with neutropenia (60.0%) and without surgical intervention (73.3%). Survival rate was higher (35.3%) for cases utilizing both antifungal and surgical intervention. The antifungal agent with the highest survival rate was amphotericin B and its formulations (58.8%)., Conclusions: Neutropenia within hematological malignancies demonstrate a risk for developing severe cutaneous fungal infections, of which primary cutaneous mucormycosis can carry significant mortality. Combination antifungal therapy and surgical debridement appears to be associated with higher survival outcomes and warrants further investigation.

The aim was to optimize the production of bioactive peptides from black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) protein isolate and to determine their biological potential using biochemical and in silico approaches. Protein fractions were generated using eight commercially available proteases after 2, 3 and 4 h and 1:20, 1:30 and 1:50 enzyme/substrate (E/S) ratios. The best combination of conditions to generate anti-diabetic peptides was with alcalase for 2 h and E/S of 1:20; with inhibition values for dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV, 96.7%), α-amylase (53.4%) and α-glucosidase (66.1%). Generated peptides were characterized using LC-ESI-MS/MS. Molecular docking analysis was performed to predict individual peptide biological potential using DockingServer®. Peptides EGLELLLLLLAG, AKSPLF and FEELN inhibited DPP-IV more efficiently in silico through free energy interactions of -9.8, -9.6 and -9.5 kcal mol(-1), respectively, than the control sitagliptin (-8.67 kcal mol(-1)). The peptide TTGGKGGK (-8.97 kcal mol(-1)) had higher inhibitory potential on α-glucosidase compared to the control acarbose (-8.79 kcal mol(-1)). Peptides AKSPLF (-10.2 kcal mol(-1)) and WEVM (-10.1 kcal mol(-1)) generated a lower free energy interaction with the catalytic site of α-amylase in comparison with acarbose (-9.71 kcal mol(-1)). Bean peptides inhibited the tested enzymes through hydrogen bonds, polar and hydrophobic interactions. The main bindings on the catalytic site were with ASP192, GLU192 and ARG 253 on DPP-IV; TYR151, HIS201 and ILE235 on α-amylase; and ASP34, THR83 and ASN32 on α-glucosidase. For the first time, a systematic evaluation and characterization of the anti-diabetic peptides from black bean protein isolate is presented with the potential for inhibiting important molecular markers related to diabetes.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates. The objective was to compare protein profile, including anti-nutrient proteins, and potential bioactive peptides of improved common bean cultivars grown in Mexico and Brazil. Bean protein isolates (BPI) were prepared from 15 common bean cultivars and hydrolyzed using pepsin/pancreatin. Thirteen proteins were identified by SDS-PAGE and protein in-gel tryptic-digestion-LC/MS. Protein profile was similar among common bean cultivars with high concentrations of defense-related proteins. Major identified proteins were phaseolin, lectin, protease and α-amylase inhibitors. Lectin (159.2 to 357.9 mg lectin/g BPI), Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (inh) (4.3 to 75.5 mg trypsin inh/g BPI), Bowman-Birk inhibitor (5.4 to 14.3 μg trypsin-chymotrypsin inh/g BPI) and α-amylase inhibitor activity (2.5 to 14.9% inhibition relative to acarbose/mg BPI) were higher in Mexican beans compared to Brazilian beans. Abundant peptides were identified by HPLC-MS/MS with molecular masses ranging from 300 to 1500 Da and significant sequences were SGAM, DSSG, LLAH, YVAT, EPTE and KPKL. Potential bioactivities of sequenced peptides were angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE), dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor (DPP-IV) and antioxidant capacity. Peptides from common bean proteins presented potential biological activities related to control of hypertension and type-2 diabetes.

The objective of this research was to determine the bioactive properties of the released peptides from commercially available precook common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Bioactive properties and peptide profiles were evaluated in protein hydrolysates of raw and commercially precooked common beans. Five varieties (Black, Pinto, Red, Navy, and Great Northern) were selected for protein extraction, protein and peptide molecular mass profiles, and peptide sequences. Potential bioactivities of hydrolysates, including antioxidant capacity and inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), and angiotensin converting enzyme I (ACE) were analyzed after digestion with pepsin/pancreatin. Hydrolysates from Navy beans were the most potent inhibitors of DPP-IV with no statistical differences between precooked and raw (IC50 = 0.093 and 0.095 mg protein/mL, respectively). α-Amylase inhibition was higher for raw Red, Navy and Great Northern beans (36%, 31%, 27% relative to acarbose (rel ac)/mg protein, respectively). α-Glucosidase inhibition among all bean hydrolysates did not show significant differences; however, inhibition values were above 40% rel ac/mg protein. IC50 values for ACE were not significantly different among all bean hydrolysates (range 0.20 to 0.34 mg protein/mL), except for Red bean that presented higher IC50 values. Peptide molecular mass profile ranged from 500 to 3000 Da. A total of 11 and 17 biologically active peptide sequences were identified in raw and precooked beans, respectively. Peptide sequences YAGGS and YAAGS from raw Great Northern and precooked Pinto showed similar amino acid sequences and same potential ACE inhibition activity. Processing did not affect the bioactive properties of released peptides from precooked beans. Commercially precooked beans could contribute to the intake of bioactive peptides and promote health., (© 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®)

In the past decades, viridans group Streptococci (VGS) have emerged as an important cause of bacteremia in neutropenic patients with cancer. The clinical course of VGS bacteremia can be devastating including septic shock and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It has been suggested that septicemia with VGS triggers the development of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema in patients with pre-existing damage of the lungs due to aggressive cytotoxic treatment. Thus, the preemptive administration of corticosteroid to patients diagnosed with VGS bacteremia with early onset of respiratory failure has been employed to prevent ARDS. While this management strategy has been suggested in the literature, little published data are available to validate this practice. In this study, we sought to review the benefit of early administration of corticosteroid to patients who developed symptom or early signs of respiratory failure while being neutropenic with VGS bacteremia.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as social phobia (SP), and selective mutism (SM) are characterised by impaired social interaction. We assessed the validity of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) to differentiate between ASD, and SP/SM. Raw scores were compared in 6-18 year old individuals with ASD (N = 60), SP (N = 38), SM (N = 43), and typically developed (N = 42). Sensitivity and specificity were examined. The three disorders showed overlapping SRS scores. Especially in boys with SM (ROC-AUC = .81), presence of ASD was overestimated by the SRS. A combination of three disorder specific questionnaires resulted in marginally improved diagnostic accuracy. For the clinically very relevant differential diagnosis of SP/SM, SRS results must be interpreted with caution.