Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) is a clover-like herb native to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, and western Asia. Its seeds, which smell and taste like maple syrup, have been used in cooking and as medicine for centuries. Fenugreek is used as an ingredient in spice blends and a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and tobacco. Fenugreek seed extracts are also used in soaps and cosmetics.
Usos
Applications of fenugreek were documented in ancient Egypt, where it was used in incense and to embalm mummies. In modern Egypt, fenugreek is still used as a supplement in wheat and maize flour for bread-making. In ancient Rome, fenugreek was purportedly used to aid labor and delivery. In traditional Chinese medicine, fenugreek seeds are used as a tonic, as well as a treatment for weakness and edema of the legs. In India, fenugreek is commonly consumed as a condiment and used medicinally as a lactation stimulant. It is currently used in Ayurvedic medicine as a demulcent, laxative, and to increase breast milk supply. It is also used as a dietary supplement to treat various conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, wounds, inflammation, and gastrointestinal complaints.
Química/Farmacología
Fenugreek contains several chemical constituents including steroidal sapogenins. There are two furastanol glycosides, F-ring opened precursors of diosgenin that have been reported in fenugreek, also as hederagin glycosides. Alkaloids such as trigocoumarin, nicotinic acid, trimethyl coumarin and trigonelline are present in stem. The mucilage is a standing out constituent of the seeds. There is about 28% mucilage; a volatile oil; 2 alkaloids such as trigonelline and choline, 5% of a stronger-smelling, bitter fixed oil, 22% proteins and a yellow coloring substance are present in the stem. Fenugreek contains 23–26% protein, 6–7% fat and 58% carbohydrates of which about 25% is dietary fiber. Fenugreek is also a rich source of iron, containing 33 mg/100 g dry weight.
Estudios clínicos
Preclinical studies suggest fenugreek has hypo-cholesterolemic, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, and antinociceptive effects.
Studies suggest benefits of fenugreek for mild asthma, as well as menopausal, postmenopausal, and polycystic ovary syndrome symptoms. Other preliminary data suggest it may improve lipid parameters and glycemic control and decrease insulin resistance in type-2 diabetic patients.
Fenugreek acts as an estrogen receptor modulator and stimulates breast cancer cells in vitro.
Mecanismo biomecánico
The hypoglycemic activity of fenugreek may be associated with the galactomannan fiber and saponin components that reduce gastrointestinal glucose and cholesterol absorption and increase bile acid excretion. 4-Hydroxyisoleucine, an amino acid constituent, potentiates insulin secretion in non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats when administered intraperitoneally. In addition to lower fasting and postprandial glucose levels, fenugreek-treated diabetic rats had higher hemoglobin, GSH, and plasma antioxidant levels and lower glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma lipids, and TBARS levels than diabetic controls. Dietary fenugreek also normalizes the activities of glucose and lipid-metabolizing enzymes in diabetic rats. Other animal studies suggest dietary fenugreek increases serum T4, liver GSH, glyoxalase I, and GST activities, and decreases T3 levels and T3/T4 ratio. In humans, fenugreek intake was associated with an increase in molar insulin binding sites of erythrocytes, which may enhance glucose utilization.
Fenugreek has also been studied for its anticancer potential. In MCF-7 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells, a fenugreek extract induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Dioscin, a steroidal saponin isolated from fenugreek, suppressed cell viability of ovarian cancer cells by regulating VEGFR2, PI3K, phosphorylated AKT, and phosphorylated p38 MAPK signaling pathways.
Fuentes/Artículos
Al-Asadi, Jasim Naeem. "Therapeutic uses of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)." Am. J. Soc. Issues Hum 2 (2014): 21-36. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.682.3673&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Amin A, Alkaabi A, Al-Falasi S, Daoud SA. Chemopreventive activities of Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek) against breast cancer. Cell Biol Int 2005 Aug;29(8):687-94.
Askarpour M, Alami F, Campbell MS, et al. Effect of fenugreek supplementation on blood lipids and body weight: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Ethnopharmacol. May 10 2020;253:112538.
Bhatia K, Kaur M, Atif F, et al. Aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. ameliorates additive urotoxicity of buthionine sulfoximine and cyclophosphamide in mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 2006 Oct;44(10):1744-50.
Bordia A, Verma SK, Srivastava KC. Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum L.) on blood lipids, blood sugar, and platelet aggregation in patients with coronary artery disease. Prostagl Leukot Ess Fatty Acids 1997;56:379-84.
Branch, Sirjan. "Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) as a valuable medicinal plant." Internafional Journal of Advanced Biological and Biomedical Research 1, no. 8 (2013): 922-931. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jalal-Bayati-Zadeh-2/publication/268502549_Fenugreek_Trigonella_foenum-graecum_L_As_a_Valuable_Medicinal_Plant/links/550be0700cf290bdc1123659/Fenugreek-Trigonella-foenum-graecum-L-As-a-Valuable-Medicinal-Plant.pdf
Broca C, et al. 4-Hydroxyisoleucine: experimental evidence of its insulinotropic and antidiabetic properties. Am J Physiol 1999;277:E617-23.
Choudhary D, et al. Modulation of glyoxalase, glutathione S-transferase and antioxidant enzymes in the liver, spleen and erythrocytes of mice by dietary administration of fenugreek seeds. Food Chem Toxicol 2001;39:989-97.
Doolabh K, Finnegan D, Pehlivan N, et al. Oral fenugreek seed consumption and serotonin syndrome. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. Dec 2019;53(12):1225.
Emtiazy M, Oveidzadeh L, Habibi M, et al. Investigating the effectiveness of the Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) seeds in mild asthma: a randomized controlled trial. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2018 May 2;14:19.
Goyal, Shivangi, Nidhi Gupta, and Sreemoyee Chatterjee. "Investigating therapeutic potential of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. as our defense mechanism against several human diseases." Journal of toxicology 2016 (2016). https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2016/1250387/
Gupta A, Gupta R, Lal B. Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seeds on glycaemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a double blind placebo controlled study. J Assoc Physicians India. 2001 Nov;49:1057-61.
Kaviarasan, S., G. H. Naik, R. Gangabhagirathi, C. V. Anuradha, and K. I. Priyadarsini. "In vitro studies on antiradical and antioxidant activities of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) seeds." Food chemistry 103, no. 1 (2007): 31-37.
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.336.331&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Kaviarasan S, Viswanathan P, Anuradha CV.Fenugreek seed (Trigonella foenum graecum) polyphenols inhibit ethanol-induced collagen and lipid accumulation in rat liver. Cell Biol Toxicol. Nov 2007;23(6):373-383.
Kaviarasan S, Sundarapandiyan R, Anuradha CV. Protective action of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) seed polyphenols against alcohol-induced protein and lipid damage in rat liver. Cell Biol Toxicol. Oct 2008;24(5):391-400.
Khosla, P., D. D. Gupta, and R. K. Nagpal. "Effect of Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek) on blood glucose in normal and diabetic rats." Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology 39 (1995): 173-173. http://daibamit.com/files/6methi_paper.pdf
Majumdar J, Chakraborty P, Mitra A, Sarkar NK, Sarkar S. Fenugreek, A Potent Hypoglycaemic Herb Can Cause Central Hypothyroidism Via Leptin - A Threat To Diabetes Phytotherapy. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2017 Jul;125(7):441-448.
Bodhankar SL, Mohan V, Thakurdesai PA. Ameliorative effects of standardized extract from Trigonella foenum-graecum L. seeds on painful peripheral neuropathy in rats. Asian Pac J Trop Med. 2012 May;5(5):385-90.
Nagulapalli Venkata, Kalyan C., Anand Swaroop, Debasis Bagchi, and Anupam Bishayee. "A small plant with big benefits: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum‐graecum Linn.) for disease prevention and health promotion." Molecular nutrition & food research 61, no. 6 (2017): 1600950.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Debasis-Bagchi/publication/314295529_A_small_plant_with_big_benefits_Fenugreek_Trigonella_foenum-graecum_Linn_for_disease_prevention_and_health_promotion/links/5f30a180a6fdcccc43bb2e9b/A-small-plant-with-big-benefits-Fenugreek-Trigonella-foenum-graecum-Linn-for-disease-prevention-and-health-promotion.pdf
Nathiya, S., M. Durga, and T. Devasena. "Therapeutic role of Trigonella foenum-graecum [fenugreek]–a review." Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res 27, no. 2 (2014): 74-80.
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Petit PR, Sauvaire YD, Hillaire-Buys DM, et al. Steroid saponins from fenugreek seeds: extraction, purification, and pharmacological investigation on feeding behavior and plasma cholesterol. Steroids. 1995;60(10):674-80.
Perla V, Jayanty SS. Biguanide related compounds in traditional antidiabetic functional foods. Food Chem. 2013;138(2-3):1574-80.
Raghuram TC, Sharmar RD, Sivakumar B, Sahay BK. Effect of fenugreek seeds on intravenous glucose disposition in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients. Phytother Res 1994;8:83-6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.2650080206
Raju J, Patlolla JM, Swamy MV, Rao CV. Diosgenin, a steroid saponin of Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek), inhibits azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci formation in F344 rats and induces apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004;13(8):1392-8.
Raju J, et al. Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek) seed powder improves glucose homeostasis in alloxan diabetic rat tissues by reversing the altered glycolytic, gluconeogenic and lipogenic enzymes. Mol Cell Biochem 2001;224:45-51.
Rampogu S, Parameswaran S, Lemuel MR, Lee KW. Exploring the Therapeutic Ability of Fenugreek against Type 2 Diabetes and Breast Cancer Employing Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Jul 11;2018:1943203.
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Sebastian KS, Thampan RV. Differential effects of soybean and fenugreek extracts on the growth of MCF-7 cells. Chem Biol Interact. Nov 20 2007;170(2):135-143. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009279707002360
Shamshad Begum S, Jayalakshmi HK, Vidyavathi HG, et al. A Novel Extract of Fenugreek Husk (FenuSMART™) Alleviates Postmenopausal Symptoms and Helps to Establish the Hormonal Balance: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Phytother Res. 2016 Nov;30(11):1775-1784.
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Sreeja S, Anju VS, Sreeja S. In vitro estrogenic activities of fenugreek Trigonella foenum graecum seeds. Indian J Med Res. 2010 Jun;131:814-9.
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Swaroop A, Jaipuriar AS, Gupta SK, Bagchi M, Kumar P, Preuss HG, Bagchi D. Efficacy of a Novel Fenugreek Seed Extract (Trigonella foenum-graecum, Furocyst) in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Int J Med Sci. 2015 Oct 3;12(10):825-31.
Vijayakumar MV, Bhat MK. Hypoglycemic effect of a novel dialysed fenugreek seeds extract is sustainable and is mediated, in part, by the activation of hepatic enzymes. Phytother Res. Apr 2008;22(4):500-505.
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Zia, Tayyaba, S. Nazrul Hasnain, and S. K. Hasan. "Evaluation of the oral hypoglycaemic effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum L.(methi) in normal mice." Journal of ethnopharmacology 75, no. 2-3 (2001): 191-195. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874101001866
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