Abstract
Drug dosage forms contain many components in addition to the active pharmaceutical ingredient(s) to assist in the manufacturing process as well as to optimise drug delivery. Due to advances in drug delivery technology, excipients are currently included in novel dosage forms to fulfil specific functions and in some cases they directly or indirectly influence the extent and/or rate of drug release and absorption. Since plant polysaccharides comply with many requirements expected of pharmaceutical excipients such as non-toxicity, stability, availability and renewability they are extensively investigated for use in the development of solid oral dosage forms. Furthermore, polysaccharides with varying physicochemical properties can be extracted from plants at relatively low cost and can be chemically modified to suit specific needs. As an example, many polysaccharide-rich plant materials are successfully used as matrix formers in modified release dosage forms. Some natural polysaccharides have even shown environmental-responsive gelation characteristics with the potential to control drug release according to specific therapeutic needs. This review discusses some of the most important plant-derived polymeric compounds that are used or investigated as excipients in drug delivery systems.
Highlights
Polymers have been successfully employed in the formulation of solid, liquid and semi-solid dosage forms and are useful in the design of modified release drug delivery systems
Excipients have traditionally been included in formulations as inert substances to mainly make up volume and assist in the manufacturing process, they are increasingly included in dosage forms to fulfil specialised functions for improved drug delivery because many new drugs have unfavourable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties
Several polymers from plant origin have been successfully used and others are being investigated as excipients in the design of dosage forms for effective drug delivery
Summary
Polymers have been successfully employed in the formulation of solid, liquid and semi-solid dosage forms and are useful in the design of modified release drug delivery systems. The specific application of plant-derived polymers in pharmaceutical formulations include their use in the manufacture of solid monolithic matrix systems, implants, films, beads, microparticles, nanoparticles, inhalable and injectable systems as well as viscous liquid formulations [11,12,13] Within these dosage forms, polymeric materials have fulfilled different roles such as binders, matrix formers or drug release modifiers, film coating formers, thickeners or viscosity enhancers, stabilisers, disintegrants, solubilisers, emulsifiers, suspending agents, gelling agents and bioadhesives [1]. Non-starch, linear polysaccharides are resistant to the digestive action of the gastrointestinal enzymes and retain their integrity in the upper gastrointestinal tract Matrices manufactured from these polysaccharides remain intact in the stomach and the small intestine, but once they reach the colon they are degraded by the bacterial polysaccharidases. Specific reference is made to the use of natural polymers in the design of novel dosage forms such as modified release matrix type tablets and other new drug delivery systems under investigation
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