Potential Role of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Mucilage in the Pharmaceutical Fields

Abstract

Mucilages have shown high demand in food and in other industrial applications such as film coatings, emulsifiers, disintegrants, binders, suspending and gelling agents. They are biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic, economical, and easily available. The natural polysaccharides found in plant mucilage have high antioxidant activity and thus prevent cell damage induced by reactive oxygen species. In addition, they increase the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) enhancing the antioxidant mechanism. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) mucilage has shown functional health properties, such as antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic, and antiulcerogenic activities, as well as the capacity to bind cholesterol and bile acids, removing toxins from the liver. It is a highly viscous polysaccharide that is mostly composed of monosaccharides D-galactose, L-rhamnose, and galacturonic acid, as well as proteins and minerals. Due to its rheological properties, okra mucilage may be used as an alternative in the pharmaceutical industry and has attracted a great attention of researchers as diluents, binders, disintegrants in  tablets, thickeners in oral liquids, protective colloids, gelling agents and suppository bases. Generally, the plant mucilage could also be used as a film coating for microencapsulation, administration of osmotic and ophthalmological drugs, oral films, and drug delivery. This review paper aims to highlight the methods of extraction of okra mucilage, properties of this mucilage, and use of okra mucilage in the pharmaceutical field.