A Review of Recent Developments in Pectin Formulation to Improve its Bioavailability and Systematic Efficacy with Future Outputs

Abstract

Pectin is part of the daily diet and is obtained mainly from fruits and vegetables. It is also an important food additive used as an emulsifier, gelling, or stabilising agent in yogurts, jams, and other food products. Moreover, pectin is an important additive in drug formulations due to its biocompatibility and degradability. This review explores pectin’s physicochemical characteristics, including molecular weight, degree of methoxylation and degree of esterification, which dictate its viscosity, texture and binding capacity to the intestinal mucosa. Also, the review sheds the light on pectin-based nanoformulations designed to enhance the bioavailability and targeted release of drugs. These formulations are developed for different therapeutic activities including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial properties as well as tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, the incorporation of advanced technologies like 3D printing is highlighted to improve its bioavailability and systematic efficacy, as well as outline future perspectives of such processes.