Natural Gums: Introduction
Introduction: Rational of Natural Gum/products are, Biocompatibility, low toxicity, environmental friendliness and low price. Natural gums obtained from plants have diverse applications in drug delivery as a, Disintegrant, emulsifying agent, suspending agents and as binders. Useful in formulating immediate and sustained-release preparation. Gums are formed as a natural phenomenon of the plant in which internal plant tissues disintegrate through a process called gummosis. This in turn form cavities, which give out transformed carbohydrates called gums. N atural gums (gums obtained from plants) are hydrophilic carbohydrate polymers of high molecular weights. Generally composed of monosaccharide units joined by glucocidic bonds. They are generally insoluble in oils or organic solvents such as hydrocarbons, ether, or alcohols. Gums are either water soluble or absorb water and swell up or disperse in cold water to give a viscous solution or jelly. On hydrolysis t...
