Mung Bean Protein Improves Hepatic Metabolic Homeostasis via Gut Microbiota Remodeling

Given the well-documented health benefits of plant proteins, mung bean protein has gained increasing attention as a promising plant-based protein source; however, its biofunctional properties have not been fully recognized. This study aimed to evaluate the hepatic metabolic regulatory effects of dietary mung bean protein in murine models, considering the central role of hepatic metabolic homeostasis in systemic regulation. The results demonstrated that dietary mung bean protein, both native mung bean protein isolate (MPI) and heat-denatured mung bean protein isolate (DMPI), restored hepatic metabolic homeostasis, an effect mediated by bioactive microbial metabolites. Notably, our results demonstrated that heat-induced denaturation of mung bean protein markedly alters its gut microbiota-regulating activity. This was evidenced by the observation that MPI tended to increase the abundance of Bifidobacterium, whereas DMPI appeared to promote the growth of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group in mice fed a normal diet. Moreover, both MPI and DMPI increased the abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum, accompanied by reduced serum total cholesterol (TC) levels and intestinal inflammation in a high-fat diet mouse model. The increased abundance of beneficial bacteria was associated with elevated intestinal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels and restored metabolic levels of nonadecanoic acid, indole derivatives, and bile acid (BA) metabolites. Collectively, our results highlight that mung bean protein promotes hepatic metabolic benefits by orchestrating gut microbiota remodeling and modulating their metabolic outputs.