Abstract
Plant pectin constitutes an important class of naturally occurring polysaccharides and are widely distributed in various fruits and vegetables consumed on a regular basis. These biomolecules are reported to exhibit a vast array of biological activities including effects on digestive system, chemo-preventive effect in colon cancer, regulation of blood cholesterol level and immune-potentiating effects. However, variation in spectrum of activity and efficacy occurs due to different sources of pectin and also different methods of extraction. Pectin modification by pH treatment, change in temperature or enzymatic modification methods can ensure derivatives with variable but defined degrees of esterification, customized physicochemical properties and improved pharmacological and therapeutic profile, mainly in cancer prevention and management. Pharmaceutical utility of plant pectin is attributed to the unique rheological behavior and gelling properties in aqueous medium and have been successfully employed in development of colon specific sustained release drug delivery systems and edible pectin films with stabilizing effect on entrapped labile molecules. The goal of the review article is to focus on the therapeutic and pharmaceutical benefits of native and modified pectin. Although, several milestones towards understanding the process of pectin modification have been established, most of the data generated till date are obtained from in vitro studies or on commercial varieties of modified pectin. Complete characterization of structure-activity relationships of modified pectin, well-planned in vivo investigations and optimization of pectin-based scaffolds for controlled and targeted drug delivery in oncotherapy are yet to be ascertained for enhancing the marketing potential of these renewable plant-derived biopolymers. Key words: Citrus pectin, edible films, apoptosis, colon cancer, modified pectin.
Highlights
Pectin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide present in the cell walls of all terrestrial plants and literature survey reveals several investigations on pectin extracted from plants like citrus fruits, apple, pomace, sunflower heads, sugar beet waste, mango waste, banana peels, green tea, tomato, carrot, papaya, grapes, plums, blackberries, etc. (May, 1990; Sriamornsak, 2003; Ezugwu et al, 2012; Poiana et al, 2013; Plaza et al, 2013; Tyagi et al, 2015)
Pectin is considered as a soluble dietary fiber as it remains undigested in the intestine but can be degraded by the colonic microflora
Modified pectin with low degree of esterification shows better antimetastatic activity and better metal detoxification property
Summary
Therapeutic and pharmaceutical benefits of native and modified plant pectin Sutapa Biswas Majee*, Dhruti Avlani, Priyanka Ghosh and Gopa Roy Biswas. Plant pectin constitutes an important class of naturally occurring polysaccharides and are widely distributed in various fruits and vegetables consumed on a regular basis. These biomolecules are reported to exhibit a vast array of biological activities including effects on digestive system, chemopreventive effect in colon cancer, regulation of blood cholesterol level and immune-potentiating effects. The goal of the review article is to focus on the therapeutic and pharmaceutical benefits of native and modified pectin.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
