Effect of chickpea protein hydrolysates on cell proliferation and in vitro bioavailability

Bioactive peptides in foods may have health-promoting properties, including effects on cell proliferation. The goal of this study was to determine whether physiological digestion of chickpea protein using pepsin and pancreatin could release this type of peptides. The THP-1 and Caco-2 cell lines were used as in vitro models to determine the effects of the hydrolysates on cell proliferation. Hydrolysates with a high degree of hydrolysis inhibited the growth of Caco-2 cells by up to 45%, suggesting that chickpea-derived peptides might inhibit the growth of tumors in the colon. Proliferation of THP-1 cells was inhibited by up to 78% by direct exposure to the hydrolysates. Nevertheless, bioavailability experiments using differentiated Caco-2 cells as a model of the intestinal barrier, in co-culture with THP-1 cells, showed that proliferation of the monocytic THP-1 cells was actually enhanced by up to 66%, which could represent an immunomodulatory activity.