Updated but Not Outdated "Gliadin": A Plant Protein in Advanced Pharmaceutical Nanotechnologies

For many years, natural products have been considered as the backbone of medical therapy. Recently, different extracted active moieties of these botanical plants were employed as innovative drug delivery vehicles. Protein-based nanocarriers have acquired great engrossment as colloidal vehicles for delivering different therapeutic agents, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, vitamins, or even biomedical devices. Gliadin is a natural protein, accounts for 80-85% of the total wheat protein, and forms a vital part in the quality and nutritional value of flour. Gliadin is not just a dietary protein, its properties created a novel and surprising applications in medical fields, pharmaceutical, biomedical devices, and drug delivery. Gliadin is safe, biocompatible, and superior over synthetic proteins. The current review highlights the nature, characteristics, quantitation, and extraction of gliadin moreover sheds the light on its different applications. The high bioadhesive ability endorsed its interaction with gastric mucosa facilitating the delivery of various drug molecules, its structure, and the disulfide bonds expanded the encapsulation of lipophilic molecules, vitamins, and enzymes. Add on this its antimicrobial film capability and its flexibility as fibers. Gliadin is applied extensively in food and its safety to the patient with celiac disease, and cytotoxicity to normal cells has not been fully elaborated.