Isolation and Hydrolysis of Proteins from Vigna umbellata and the Effect on Their Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities

Rice bean is a legume that is considered to be an important source of protein; it is still poorly understood but can produce peptides with various biological activities. These peptides can be released by enzymes during gastrointestinal passage and have a physiological effect on cancer cells. Since both the type of legume and the enzyme cocktail used are crucial for the production of peptides against certain cancer cell types, the anticancer effects of Vigna umbellata isolate and hydrolysate against MDA and SiHa cells were investigated in this study. The isolate was obtained via isoelectric precipitation, and the hydrolysate was obtained via pepsin P7012 and pancreatin P1750. The anticancer activity was determined by cell viability via the MTT assay, and a Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationships between the anticancer activity and total phenolic compounds, and the antioxidant activity of the isolated rice bean protein and its hydrolysate. The rice bean hydrolysate had a higher concentration of phenolic compounds than the isolate does, resulting in high antioxidant activity. The inhibition of proliferation in SiHa cells and MDA cells was twofold greater when they were exposed to the hydrolysate than when they were exposed to the isolate, with the IC50 values at a concentration of 1000 μg/mL after 48 h of exposure for both MDA and SiHa cells. Rice bean protein hydrolysate is a good alternative for inhibiting the proliferation of SiHa cells and MDA cells, although further studies are needed.