Cyanidin and cyanidin‐3‐glucoside derived from Vigna unguiculata act as noncompetitive inhibitors of pancreatic lipase.

The consumption of legumes positively correlated with the reduction of body weight.
In the present study, we identified and evaluated pancreatic lipase inhibitors from
Vigna unguiculata and unraveled their mode of inhibition. The highly sensitive fluoro‐
metric method was adopted to access the pancreatic lipase activity and the ethanolic
extract of Vigna unguiculata showed the maximum inhibition (IC50 of 15.2 µg/ml).
Cyanidin and cyanidin‐3‐glucoside are the major anthocyanins observed in Vigna unguiculata. The IC50 value of cyanidin was 28.29 µM which was 6.5‐fold higher than
the cyanidin‐3‐glucoside (188.28 µM). We determined an apparent Ki
of 27.28 µM
for cyanidin and cyanidin‐3‐glucoside (88.97 µM) with noncompetitive inhibition.
Collectively, these results suggest that the glycosylation of the anthocyanidins sig‐
nificantly reduces lipase inhibition. The noncompetitive inhibition of pancreatic li‐
pase by Vigna unguiculata anthocyanins may exert significant pharmacological
activities toward obesity complications by calorie restriction.
Practical applications
The results of this study emphasize the importance of legumes in our diet to combat
obesity‐related complications. Consumption of legumes minimizes fat absorption by
inhibiting the action of the fat‐digesting enzyme.