A Mini-review of Galactomannas and Diosgenin in Fenugreek

Introduction: Galactomannas are polysaccharides similar to cellulose and starch. Methods: A literature search was conducted in Medline, Scopus, PubMed and Google scholar databases. The keywords were fenugreek, health benefits, bioactive components, galactomannans, diosgenin and pharmaceutical science. Results: Fenugreek galactomannan is a heteropolysaccharide which reduces blood glucose level as normalize the surface activities inside the small intestine. They are also used in food products in order to increase the thickness of the water content. The most important health benefits of galactomanna are reduction in LDL cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemic, blood lipids, as well as to reduce blood pressure and fibrinolysis. Diosgenin is an isospirostane derivative and the product of acids or enzymes hydrolysis process of dioscin and protodioscin. Conclusion: Diosgenin shows biological activities including antioxidant, anti-diabetes, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-adipogenic effects.