Abstract

Research in natural polymeric materials has witnessed growing interest and attention. This is attributable to a number of factors which include their relative abundance, low cost, and biodegrable and eco-firendly profiles. This article reviews the current applications of natural polymeric materials in pharmaceutical formulations. The pharmaceutical applications of some of the traditional and commercially available natural polymers were discussed. Emerging potential pharmaceutical excipients of natural origins were also discussed. The increasing research interests in this group of materials are indications of their increasing importance. It is believed that as technology and testing techniques advance, more understanding of their physicochemical nature would be gained that can enable them to be tailored for wider Pharmaceutical applications than their synthetic counterparts.

Highlights

  • Drugs are hardly administered as such but are almost always formulated into a suitable dosage form with the aid of excipients, which serve various functions such as binding, lubricating, gelling, suspending, flavoring, sweetening and bulking agent among others [1]

  • The International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council defines excipients as substances, other than the active drug substances of finished dosage form, which have been appropriately evaluated for safety and are included in a drug delivery system to either aid the processing of the drug delivery system during its manufacture; protect, support orenhance stability, bioavailability, or patient acceptability; assist in product identification; or enhance any other attributes of the overall safety and effectiveness of the drug delivery system during storage or use [2]

  • Excipients play a critical role in the creation of medicines, helping to preserve the efficacy, safety, and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and ensuring that they deliver their promised benefits to the patients

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Summary

Introduction

Drugs are hardly administered as such but are almost always formulated into a suitable dosage form with the aid of excipients, which serve various functions such as binding, lubricating, gelling, suspending, flavoring, sweetening and bulking agent among others [1]. These naturally occurring polymers have been employed as excipients in the pharmaceutical industry in the formulation of solid, liquid and semisolid dosage forms in which they play different roles as disintegrates, binders, film formers, matrix formers or release modifiers, thickeners or viscosity enhancers, stabilizers, emulsifiers, suspending agents and muco adhesives [4,5] They have been used in the formulation and manufacture of solid monolithic matrix systems, implants, films, beads, micro particles, nanoparticles, inhalable and injectable systems as well as viscous liquid formulations [5,6,7]. Specific mention is made of some of the natural products already in use as pharmaceutical excipients and those being researched for this purpose

Polysaccharides of the plant cell wall
Gums and mucilages
Seaweed polysaccharides
Microbial polysaccharides
Exudates gums
Cyclo dextrins
Findings
Conclusion
Full Text
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