BENEFICIAL ROLE OF HIGH PLANT PROTEINS IN THE TREATMENT AGAINST HYPERURICEMIA IN EXPERIMENTAL RATS

Soheir Ahmed Al-Masri

Food Sciences and Nutrition Dept, Faculty of Food Sciences and Agriculture, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author e-mail: saalmasry@ksu.edu.sa

ABSTRACT

The current study was undertaken to analyze the protective effect of soybeans, white beans and fenugreek seeds on experimental hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia was induced by potassium oxonate. Sixty adult male rats weighing 115±5 gm were randomly distributed into six groups (10 animals in each group). First group served as a normal control (–ve) group, fed on standard diet only, while the other 5 groups rats were fed on standard diet containing 2% potassium oxonate  for six weeks before the start of the experiment to induce hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemic rats groups were classified into control (+ve), soybeans 10% in the standard diet, white beans 10% in standard diet, soybeans 5% plus fenugreek 5% in the standard diet and white beans 5% plus fenugreek 5% in the standard diet. At the end of experimental phase for 60 days, rats were weighed then dissected and blood samples were taken. The results showed that hyperuricemic rat groups which fed on diet supplemented with soybeans plus fenugreek and white beans plus fenugreek showed non-significant difference in nutritional results compared with control group (-ve). Hyperuricemic rats fed on diet supplemented with soybeans, white beans, soybean with fenugreek and white bean with fenugreek seeds powder showed significant decrease in uric acid, creatinine, urea and nitric oxide (NO) but significant increase in total protein, albumin and globulin, antioxidant enzymes (catalase, GPX and SOD,) when compared with control( +ve) group. It is concluded that legumes increase the immunity and antioxidant activity, and the diet supplemented with two high protein legumes such as soybean with fenugreek or white bean with fenugreek had beneficial effect on nutritional and biochemical results.
Key words: Soybeans, White beans, Fenugreek Seeds, Legumes, Plant Protein, Hyperuricemia