Natural Polymers as Excipient in Formulation of Novel Drug Delivery System

The therapeutic formulation has two main components which are active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients to support into the production process in addition to enhancing medication distribution. In manufacturing dosage forms, to improve physicochemical parameters and to improve the stability of the dosage form excipients have proven to be very helpful. Excipients are currently utilized in novel drug delivery technology to fulfil customized functions, and in some cases, they directly or indirectly influence the extent and rate of drug release and effectiveness. Advances in polymer science have led to the development of novel drug delivery systems, which include microspheres, nanoparticles, tablets, gels, transdermal patches, dermal patches, implants, niosomes, and liposomes. The herbal or natural excipients have great merit over their synthetic polymers as these are non-hazardous, easily accessible, chemically inert, biodegradable, less expensive, eco-friendly, biocompatible, and economical. Gums and mucilage are widely used natural materials for conventional and novel dosage forms. Thus, the present study aims to highlight the numerous applications of natural plant mucilage and gum as gelling, thickening, suspending, binder, diluent, lubricant, and disintegrant in different types of formulations, as well as in the sectors of food and cosmetics. We outline the advancements throughout this review in polymeric science, natural extracted plant mucilage and gums have been assessed for medicinal purposes, which have diversified scopes in the design during formulations