Abstract
Polymers constitute the most important group of excipients utilized in modern pharmaceutical technology, playing an essential role in the development of drug dosage forms. Synthetic, semisynthetic, and natural polymeric materials offer opportunities to overcome different formulative challenges and to design novel dosage forms for controlled release or for site-specific drug delivery. They are extensively used to design therapeutic systems, modify drug release, or mask unpleasant drug taste. Cellulose derivatives are characterized by different physicochemical properties, such as swellability, viscosity, biodegradability, pH dependency, or mucoadhesion, which determine their use in industry. One cellulose derivative with widespread application is ethylcellulose. Ethylcellulose is used in pharmaceutical technology as a coating agent, flavoring fixative, binder, filler, film-former, drug carrier, or stabilizer. The aim of this article is to provide a broad overview of ethylcellulose utilization for pharmaceutical purposes, with particular emphasis on its multidirectional role in the development of oral and topical drug dosage forms.
Highlights
Modern pharmaceutical technology could not exist without polymers, which play an integral role in the advancement of drug delivery
Another study concerned the development of orally disintegrating caffeine citrate tablets utilizing hot melt extrusion technology (EC was used as a polymeric taste-masking carrier) [51]
EC was applied as a taste-masking and release-slowing agent to develop a gabapentin nanosponge-based controlled release dry suspension for pediatric use, using the suspension layering technique [52]
Summary
Modern pharmaceutical technology could not exist without polymers, which play an integral role in the advancement of drug delivery (e.g., by providing controlled release of therapeutic agents, masking bitter taste of drugs, or serving as carriers in targeted therapy). They have a wide range of physicochemical characteristics according to their molecular weight and configuration. It is produced by photosynthesis and constitutes a basic plant component It is a linear polymer composed of glucopyranose residues, where the units are connected by 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds. Cellulose-based biomaterials are widely utilized as biocompatible templates for designing novel drug delivery systems with a wide range of pharmaceutical applications via different routes and pharmacotherapeutic purposes [1,2,3,4]
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