Department of Food and Nutrition, Hanyang University
Objectives: Excessive adiposity induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which augments atherosclerosis via oxidation of low-density lipoprotein and causes. Enhancing the antioxidant system with functional cereal has been favored in Korea to relieve oxidative stress. This study hypothesized that black bean (BB) improves antioxidant effect in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice.
Methods: Seven-week-old male C57BL/6NTac mice were fed a mixture of HFD (45% kcal from fat) with BB for 14 weeks. For a mixture diet, BB with basic grains (a mixture of mung bean, glutinous millet, and waxy barley; 15% w/w) was cooked and freeze-dried to make power. Mice were randomly assigned to five groups as follows: 1) BB 0% (negative control), 2) BB 10%, 3) BB 20%, 4) BB 30%, and 5) BB 40%. Body weight and feed intake were measured each week.
Results: BB did not alter the adiposity, including body weight and fat in tissue. Total energy intake was significantly increased in BB 20, BB 30, and BB 40 (p < 0.001). The food efficiency ratio (FER) was similar among BB groups. Liver weight was not also significantly different. Total cholesterol in serum was significantly reduced with BB 20 and BB 40 (p < 0.001). Triglycerides were not affected by BB supplementation. On the other hand, we found that BB significantly enhanced the antioxidant effect in HFD-induced obese mice. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was increased with all BB groups (p < 0.001). We measured the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione reductase to determine the effective enzyme. SOD, the major antioxidant enzyme, was also significantly improved with BB 20, BB 30, and BB 40 (p < 0.001). The activities of catalase and glutathione reductase were not altered.
Conclusions: BB enhances the antioxidant effect by improving TAC and SOD activity. Also, it cleared total cholesterol in HFD-induced obesity mice.
Funding Sources: This work was supported by the Cuchen Co. Ltd (grant number HY-202200000000711).
