next generation of drugs. In near future, there is a significant demand to transform
fenugreek gum as an effective excipient by applying polymer science,
nano-biotechnology, computational biology and design driven strategies.
One of the major challenges in the field of synthetic excipient discovery are the
long time span required for structure screening, design of scale up strategies and
toxicological testing for drug master file submission. Therefore, fenugreek gum
serves as an effective alternative than its synthetic counterparts due to its bulk
availability, ease of extraction property, low cost and biocompatibility.
Mucoadhesive property, rapid disintegration capability, high water solubility and
controlled release capacity pose it as a smart excipient to develop tangible pharmaceutical product. Although the application of fenugreek gum in pharmaceutical
terrain is in its infancy today, new concepts of biopharmaceutical science can
increase the possibilities of fenugreek gum in pharmaceutical industries. Strategies
like chemical modification of biopolymer extracted from fenugreek seed mucilage,
blending with copolymer and computational biology can be used to tailor the
physiochemical property of biopolymer as per the formulation. However, complex
in vitro and in vivo models, sophisticated imaging techniques and gamma
scintigraphy could be used to analyze the therapeutic potential of fenugreek gum in
the circulation. Nanomolecule-based drug delivery systems, liposome-based formulations and polymeric micelles can be fabricated using fenugreek gum with
improved solubility, bioavailability, membrane permeation and active targeting.
Recent articles show the huge potential of fenugreek gum as a biopolymer to
address formulation associated challenges with current therapeutic regime to treat
acute and chronic disease worldwide. As a result, scope of performance, cost
effectiveness and accessibility of valuable drugs would increase for growing society. Altogether, this review demonstrates the recent advances related to fenugreek
gum aimed at expanding the horizon of drug delivery in the lap of rapidly growing
pharmaceutical arena.
Acknowledgments PM, AS and TCY are thankful to the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Government of India for Senior Research Fellowship. Authors are thankful to
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee for providing research facilities for this work.
Conflict of Interest We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this
article.
References
Adeli M, Samavati V (2015) Studies on the steady shear flow behavior and chemical properties of
water-soluble polysaccharide from Ziziphus lotus fruit. Int J Biol Macromol 72:580–587
Ahmed OAA, Zidan AS, Khayat M (2016) Mechanistic analysis of Zein nanoparticles/PLGA
triblock in situ forming implants for glimepiride. Int J Nanomedicine 11:543–555
Al-Ashban RM, Abou-Shaaban RR, Shah AH (2010) Toxicity studies on Trigonella
foenum-graecum L. seeds used in spices and as a traditional remedy for diabetes. Orient
Pharm Exp Med 10:66–78
402
P. Mishra et al.
fenugreek gum as an effective excipient by applying polymer science,
nano-biotechnology, computational biology and design driven strategies.
One of the major challenges in the field of synthetic excipient discovery are the
long time span required for structure screening, design of scale up strategies and
toxicological testing for drug master file submission. Therefore, fenugreek gum
serves as an effective alternative than its synthetic counterparts due to its bulk
availability, ease of extraction property, low cost and biocompatibility.
Mucoadhesive property, rapid disintegration capability, high water solubility and
controlled release capacity pose it as a smart excipient to develop tangible pharmaceutical product. Although the application of fenugreek gum in pharmaceutical
terrain is in its infancy today, new concepts of biopharmaceutical science can
increase the possibilities of fenugreek gum in pharmaceutical industries. Strategies
like chemical modification of biopolymer extracted from fenugreek seed mucilage,
blending with copolymer and computational biology can be used to tailor the
physiochemical property of biopolymer as per the formulation. However, complex
in vitro and in vivo models, sophisticated imaging techniques and gamma
scintigraphy could be used to analyze the therapeutic potential of fenugreek gum in
the circulation. Nanomolecule-based drug delivery systems, liposome-based formulations and polymeric micelles can be fabricated using fenugreek gum with
improved solubility, bioavailability, membrane permeation and active targeting.
Recent articles show the huge potential of fenugreek gum as a biopolymer to
address formulation associated challenges with current therapeutic regime to treat
acute and chronic disease worldwide. As a result, scope of performance, cost
effectiveness and accessibility of valuable drugs would increase for growing society. Altogether, this review demonstrates the recent advances related to fenugreek
gum aimed at expanding the horizon of drug delivery in the lap of rapidly growing
pharmaceutical arena.
Acknowledgments PM, AS and TCY are thankful to the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Government of India for Senior Research Fellowship. Authors are thankful to
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee for providing research facilities for this work.
Conflict of Interest We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this
article.
References
Adeli M, Samavati V (2015) Studies on the steady shear flow behavior and chemical properties of
water-soluble polysaccharide from Ziziphus lotus fruit. Int J Biol Macromol 72:580–587
Ahmed OAA, Zidan AS, Khayat M (2016) Mechanistic analysis of Zein nanoparticles/PLGA
triblock in situ forming implants for glimepiride. Int J Nanomedicine 11:543–555
Al-Ashban RM, Abou-Shaaban RR, Shah AH (2010) Toxicity studies on Trigonella
foenum-graecum L. seeds used in spices and as a traditional remedy for diabetes. Orient
Pharm Exp Med 10:66–78
402
P. Mishra et al.