ABSTRACT:
Black turtle bean is a nutritional powerhouse with diverse array of phytochemicals, that possess numerous health benefits, yet remains untapped and underappreciated. The study aimed to assess the anti-cholesterol, anti-hypertensive, anti-ulcer and anti-microbial activities of raw and cooked black turtle bean. Aqueous extract of raw and cooked black turtle beans was prepared. The anti-cholesterol activity was evaluated using cholesterol esterase inhibition assay and the anti-hypertensive activity was assessed using the ACE inhibition assay. The anti-ulcer activity was assessed using the urease inhibition assay and ATPase inhibition assay. The anti-microbial activity (bacterial and fungal) was assessed using well diffusion assay. Results showed that raw and cooked black turtle bean had excellent anti-cholesterol, anti-hypertensive and anti-ulcer activities. However, both raw and cooked beans did not exhibit anti-microbial activity. The results of IC50 showed that cooked black turtle bean had highest inhibitory potential against cholesterol esterase (78.00±0.74µg/mL), ACE (77.76±1.59 µg/mL), urease (160.46±0.91µg/mL) and ATPase (93.80±0.42 µg/mL) when compared to the raw black turtle bean. The findings of this study highlight the beneficial effects of black turtle bean and underscores the necessity for future research aimed at identifying and isolating the bioactive compounds and understanding the molecular mechanisms.