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 ⁽¹⁴⁾; computational analyses also revealed galactomannan as a potential drug candidate against type-2 diabetes and breast cancer ⁽³⁸⁾. 4-Hydroxyisoleucine, an amino acid constituent of fenugreek, potentiates insulin secretion in non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDD) rats when administered intraperitoneally ⁽¹⁵⁾. In addition to lower fasting and postprandial glucose levels, fenugreek-treated diabetic rats have higher hemoglobin, GSH, and plasma antioxidant levels and lower glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma lipids, and TBARS levels than diabetic controls ⁽⁴⁾. Dietary fenugreek also normalizes the activities of glucose and lipid-metabolizing enzymes in diabetic rats ⁽³⁾. Studies using healthy mice and rats indicate that dietary fenugreek is associated with increased serum T4, liver GSH, glyoxalase I, and GST activities, and decreased T3 levels and T3/T4 ratio ^{(17) (18) (19)}. Fenugreek intake in humans was associated with an increase in molar insulin binding sites of erythrocytes, which may enhance glucose utilization ⁽¹⁶⁾.

Fenugreek has been studied for its anticancer potential. In MCF-7 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells, a fenugreek extract induced cell cycle arrest as well as apoptosis ⁽⁹⁾. Dioscin, a steroidal saponin isolated from fenugreek, was shown to suppress cell viability of ovarian cancer cells by regulating the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)2, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated AKT and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways ⁽³⁹⁾.