Polyphenols, Saponins and Phytosterols in Lentils and Their Health Benefits: An Overview

Abstract

The lentil (Lens culinaris L.) is one of the most important legumes (family, Fabaceae). It is a natural functional food rich in many bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, saponins and phytosterols. Several studies have demonstrated that the consumption of lentils is potentially important in reducing the incidence of a number of chronic diseases, due to their bioactive compounds. The most common polyphenols in lentils include phenolic acids, flavan-3-ol, flavonols, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins, and anthocyanins, which play an important role in the prevention of several degenerative diseases in humans, due to their antioxidant activity. Furthermore, lentil polyphenols are reported to have antidiabetic, cardioprotective and anticancer activities. Lentil saponins are triterpene glycosides, mainly soyasaponins I and βg. These saponins have a plasma cholesterol-lowering effect in humans and are important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. Moreover, high levels of phytosterols have been reported in lentils, especially in the seed coat, and β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol are the most abundant. Beyond their hypocholesterolemic effect, phytosterols in lentils are known for their anti-inflammatory activity. In this review, the current information on the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds including polyphenols, saponins and phytosterols, and their associated health-promoting effects are discussed.

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2 Characterization of Phenolic Compounds in Different Lentil (Lens culinaris M.) Samples and Their Antioxidant Capacity

“…Saponins are amphiphilic glycosidic secondary metabolites produced by several plants that possess emulsifying and foaming properties [52]. Lentils are one of the main sources of saponins in the human diet [13]. According to our findings, the highest saponin level was displayed in brown lentils (0.03 ± 0.01 mg AE/g).…”

“…Most studies correlate phenolic compounds with their potential health benefits, including antioxidant capacity and other health-promoting properties [40]. According to a recent review of polyphenols in lentils [13], the most frequently found polyphenols in lentils comprise phenolic acids, flavonols, flavan-3-ol, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanidins, or condensed tannins, and anthocyanins. Therefore, this study intended to evaluate the TPC, TFC, TTC, TCT, TPAC, and TAC, besides the saponin estimation.…”

“…No significant differences were shown between green and red whole lentils (p > 0.05), while black lentils possessed the lowest saponin content among all the lentil samples. The amount of saponin in lentils varies depending on the cultivar, location, soil type, weather, and season of harvest, extraction methods, as well as processing methods, such as soaking, cooking, and blanching [13,53]. The total amount of saponins in 44 different genotypes of lentils was estimated by [54], who observed a concentration from 1.70 to 3.50 mg/g.…”

“…The high content of phytochemicals in pulse-based diets including polyphenols is related to health benefits [13]. Lentil presents a diverse phenolic profile in which phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lignans are the majority.…”

Etude Toxicologique et Effet Antianémique d’Un Complément Alimentaire à Base de Feuilles de Jatropha gossypiifolia chez des Rats Wistar

“…Les alcaloïdes sont connus pour leurs effets antipaludiques comme c'est le cas pour la quinine, molécule alcaloïdes extraite de l'écorce de Cinchona officinalis (Uzor, 2020). Les polyphénols ont des propriétés anticancérigènes, cardioprotectrices, antidiabétiques, antioxydantes et antiinflammatoires (Mitsunari et al, 2021 ;Mustafa et al, 2022 ;Yoshioka et al, 2022).La présence de ces constituants phytochimiques dans l'EAJG justifieraient les effets pharmacologiques de cette plante.…”