Utilization of pectin as a polysaccharide microcarrier for drug delivery

Pectin is a polysaccharide of natural origin, which has been widely exploited in the food and pharmaceutical industry due to its biodegradable and biocompatible nature. It is commonly used as an efficient texturizer and stabilizer in different food products due to its high stability and also as a pharmaceutical excipient in various drug formulations due to its valuable characteristics. The utilization of pectin as a drug carrier for achieving controlled drug release in pharmaceutical dosage forms has been extensively researched recently. Pectin has the potential for targeted drug delivery due to its degradation by colonic microorganisms, making it a popular subject of investigation for biomedical applications. The developed in recent years pectin microparticle systems have several advantages over classical pectin gel formulations. These advantages include higher drug loading efficiency, reduced burst drug release, and the ability to better control the drug release and limit the polymer swelling. This review outlines the recent developments of pectin as a microcarrier in the production of drug delivery systems, which include the properties of the polysaccharide material essential for microparticle production, specific formulation methods with their key technological parameters, influencing the final microparticle product and potential applications of the proposed pectin microsized formulations.