QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yashiro, A. Articles by Sugano, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yashiro, A. Articles by Sugano, M.

Hypocholesterolemic Effect of Soybean Protein in Rats and Mice after Peptic Digestion¹

Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Kyushu University School of Agriculture 46-09, Fukuoka 812, Japan

Analyses of gastrointestinal contents of rats fed soybean protein isolate and casein showed that soybean protein was readily digested in the stomach but migrated slowly in the small intestine. The soluble fraction of the stomach contents of rats fed soybean protein was separated by gel-filtration on Sephadex G25 into large and small molecular fractions, the latter was not found in rats fed casein. The formation of low-molecular-weight peptides was pH dependent, and analogous peptides were produced by pepsin in vitro not only from soybean protein but also from casein. In rats the peptic digest of soybean protein was found to be as hypocholesterolemic as intact soybean protein. Meanwhile, the cholesterol-lowering action of the large molecular fraction of the peptic digest tended to be greater than that of the small molecular fraction in mice. These observations suggest a significant role of peptic digestion in the cholesterol-lowering action of soybean protein.

KEY WORDS: • soybean protein • casein • pepsin digestion • cholesterol

¹ Supported by Grant-in-Aid for Special Project Research (No. 95124006) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Manuscript received 28 January 1985. Revision accepted 1 July 1985.