Herb–Drug Interaction at the Dissolution Level: Effect of Fenugreek Galactomannan on Glibenclamide Release Profiles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1014-5801Keywords:
Dissolution profile, Diabetes mellitus, Fenugreek, Glibenclamide, Hypoglycemia, Herb–drug interactionAbstract
This study looked into the in vitro dissolution profile of Glibenclamide tablets in the presence of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seed extract. Glibenclamide, a second-generation sulfonylurea with poor aqueous solubility, is associated with variable dissolution and absorption characteristics. At the same time, fenugreek is widely used in traditional diabetes management because of its hypoglycemic phytoconstituents. Fenugreek seeds were extracted by cold maceration using methanol and screened for phytochemical constituents, revealing the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, and polysaccharides. Four commercial brands of Glibenclamide tablets were evaluated for physicochemical quality parameters and subjected to dissolution studies using a USP type II dissolution apparatus in 0.1 N HCl kept at 37 ± 0.5 °C, both in the absence and presence of fenugreek extract. Dissolution samples were analyzed spectrophotometrically at 275 nm. Each experiment was conducted in triplicate (n = 3), and the results were reported as mean ± standard deviation. One-way ANOVA p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant for the statistical analysis. The outcomes revealed that the presence of fenugreek extract altered the dissolution profile of Glibenclamide across the tested brands, with a significant reduction in percentage drug release observed at 30 min compared with the control formulations (p < 0.05). Some brands failed to achieve the British Pharmacopoeia dissolution requirement of not less than 80% drug release within 30 min in the presence of the extract. These findings suggest a potential in-vitro herb–drug interaction between fenugreek and Glibenclamide, which may influence the drug dissolution characteristics and warrants further in-vivo investigation.
References
Ahmed, N., Abo-Zeid, Y., Sakran, W. (2023). Strategies adopted to improve bioavailability of glibenclamide: Insights on novel delivery systems. J. Adv. Pharm. Res, 7 (1): 35–49.
Akhtar, H., Ali, Y. A., Wei, C. R., Albassam, R. S., Ahmed, F., Yasmin, A., Rasheed, M., Naseer, M. S., Islam, F., and Zahra, S. M. (2025). Bioactive potential and health benefits of Trigonella foenum-graecum L.: A comprehensive review. Food Sci. Nutr., 13(9), e70887. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.70887
Alamgir, A. (2018). Phytoconstituents—Active and inert constituents, metabolic pathways, chemistry and application of phytoconstituents, primary metabolic products, and bioactive compounds of primary metabolic origin. In Therapeutic use of medicinal plants and their extracts (Vol. 2, pp. 25–164). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92387-1_2
Al-Asadi, J. N. (2014). Therapeutic uses of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Am. J. Soc. Issues Humanit., 2, 21–36.
Berardi, A., Bisharat, L., Quodbach, J., Rahim, S. A., Perinelli, D. R., and Cespi, M. (2021). Advancing the understanding of the tablet disintegration phenomenon—an update on recent studies. Int. J. Pharm., 598, 120390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120390
Blahova, J., Martiniakova, M., Babikova, M., Kovacova, V., Mondockova, V., & Omelka, R. (2021). Pharmaceutical drugs and natural therapeutic products for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Pharmaceuticals,14(8), 806. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14080806
Fasinu, P. S., Gurley, B. J., & Walker, L. A. (2015). Clinically relevant pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions in antiretroviral therapy. Current Drug Metabolism, 17(1), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200216666151103115053
Garba, M. A., Aliyu, A., Mukhtar, U. D. M., Bashir, A. I.-J., and Idris, A. (2026). Herb–drug interaction and antidiabetic drug development: A spectroscopic and pharmacokinetics investigation of Polyalthia longifolia versus metformin. Int. J. Sci. Glob. Sustain. 12(2), 86–93. https://doi.org/10.57233/ijsgs.v12i2.1090
Giannenas, I., Sidiropoulou, E., Bonos, E., Christaki, E., and Florou-Paneri, P. (2020). The history of herbs, medicinal and aromatic plants, and their extracts: Past, current situation and future perspectives. In Feed additives (pp. 1–18). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814700-9.00001-X
Jadon, A. S., Kaushik, M. P., Anitha, K., Bhatt, S., Bhadauriya, P., and Sharma, M. (2024). Types of diabetes mellitus, mechanism of insulin resistance and associated complications. In Biochemical immunology of diabetes and associated complications (pp. 1–18). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99525-8.00008-5
Jakubowska, E., & Ciepluch, N. (2021). Blend segregation in tablet manufacturing and its effect on drug content uniformity—Areview.Pharmaceutics,13(11),1909. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13111909
Khalaf, K. D., & Hassen, P. A. (2012). Spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of glibenclamide in pharmaceutical formulations. Baghdad Science Journal, 9(2), 296–301. https://doi.org/10.21123/bsj.2012.9.2.296-301
Lal, V. K., Gupta, P. P., Tripathi, P., & Pandey, A. (2011). Interaction of aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds with glibenclamide in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Am.J.Pharmacol.Toxicol.6 (4),102–106. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajptsp.2011.102.106
Mutombo, P. N., Kasilo, O. M. J., James, P. B., Wardle, J., Kunle, O., Katerere, D., Wambebe, C., Matsabisa, M. G., Rahmatullah, M., Nikiema, J.-B., Mukankubito, I., Sheridan, R., Sanogo, R., Nissapatorn, V., Sivakorn, C., Tripathy, S., Goyal, R., & Dhobi, M. (2023). Experiences and challenges of African traditional medicine: Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Glob. Health,8(8),e010813. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010813
Nalbantova, V., Benbassat, N., & Delattre, C. (2024). Fenugreek galactomannan and its versatile applications.Polysaccharides,5(3),478–492. https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides5030027
Pan, S.-Y., Zhou, S.-F., Gao, S.-H., Yu, Z.-L., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., Ma, D.-L., Han, Y.-F., & Fong, W.-F. (2013). New perspectives on how to discover drugs from herbal medicines: CAM’s outstanding contribution to modern therapeutics. Evid. -Based Complement. Altern.Med. 2013,627375. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/627375
Rahman, A., Khidr, S. H., Samy, E. M., & Sayed, M. (2014). Enhancement of the dissolution rate of glipizide capsules using fenugreek as natural additive. Unique J. Pharm. Biol. Sci., 2, 1–8.
Sabbaghi, N., Dadfarnia, S., Haji Shabani, A. M., & Farsadrooh, M. (2024). Dispersive micro solid phase extraction of glibenclamide from plasma, urine, and wastewater using a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer followed by its determination by a high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector. RSC Advances, 14(19), 13168–13179. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4RA00452C
Stielow, M., Witczyńska, A., Kubryń, N., Fijałkowski, Ł., Nowaczyk, J., & Nowaczyk, A. (2023). The bioavailability of drugs—The current state of knowledge. Molecules, 28(24), 8038. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28248038
Tomlinson, B., Patil, N. G., Fok, M., Chan, P., & Lam, C. W. K. (2022). The role of sulfonylureas in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Expert Opin. Pharmacother., 23(3), 387–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2022.2030571
Tran, N., Pham, B., & Le, L. (2020). Bioactive compounds in anti-diabetic plants: From herbal medicine to modern drug discovery. Biology, 9(9), 252. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9090252
Van der Merwe, J., Steenekamp, J., Steyn, D., & Hamman, J. (2020). The role of functional excipients in solid oral dosage forms to overcome poor drug dissolution and bioavailability. Pharmaceutics12(5),393. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics12050393
Zhao, H., Yu, Y., Ni, N., Zhao, L., Lin, X., Wang, Y., Du, R., & Shen, L. (2022). A new parameter for characterization of tablet friability based on a systematic study of five excipients. Int. J. Pharm., 611,121339. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121339](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121339 ).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Musa Garba, Bashir, Ishak, Idris, Yunusa, Nasiru
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
