A novel ternary magnetic nanobiocomposite based on tragacanth-silk fibroin hydrogel for hyperthermia and biological properties.

This study involves the development of a new nanocomposite material for use in biological applications. The nanocomposite was based on tragacanth hydrogel (TG), which was formed through cross-linking of Ca2+ ions with TG polymer chains. The utilization of TG hydrogel and silk fibroin as natural compounds has enhanced the biocompatibility, biodegradability, adhesion, and cell growth properties of the nanobiocomposite. This advancement makes the nanobiocomposite suitable for various biological applications, including drug delivery, wound healing, and tissue engineering. Additionally, Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized in situ within the nanocomposite to enhance its hyperthermia efficiency. The presence of hydrophilic groups in all components of the nanobiocomposite allowed for good dispersion in water, which is an important factor in increasing the effectiveness of hyperthermia cancer therapy. Hemolysis and 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assays were conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the nanobiocomposite for in-vivo applications. Results showed that even at high concentrations, the nanobiocomposite had minimal hemolytic effects. Finally, the hyperthermia application of the hybrid scaffold was evaluated, with a maximum SAR value of 41.2 W/g measured in the first interval.

Tragacanth gum-based nano-nutraceuticals synthesis by encapsulation of beetroot juice and Ocimum basilicum leaves for micronutrient deficient population.

Micronutrient deficiencies, such as iron, folic acid, and vitamins C and D, are currently prevalent due to inadequate consumption of natural food sources, namely raw vegetables and fruits. This deficiency is compounded by the growing reliance on synthetic nutraceuticals and processed food, which exhibit poor absorbency within the gastrointestinal tract. Scientific studies consistently indicate that naturally prepared whole foods are superior in terms of nutrient absorption compared to processed and synthetic supplements. To address this issue, we utilized FDA-approved tragacanth gum (TG) in the synthesis of nano-nutraceuticals by encapsulating beetroot juice and ball-milled sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). TG, in its micro or macro form, possesses the remarkable ability to form hydrogels capable of absorbing water up to 50 times its weight. However, the hydrogel-forming property diminishes when TG is reduced to the nanoscale. We effectively exploited these properties to facilitate the synthesis of nano-nutraceuticals. The procedure involved encapsulating beetroot juice and sweet basil nanopowder using TG hydrogel, followed by freeze-drying. Subsequently, the freeze-dried encapsulated TG composite was subjected to ball-milling to achieve the desired nano-nutraceuticals. These nano-nutraceuticals naturally contain essential nutrients such as iron, folic acid, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, niacin, and sugars, without the need for chemical processing or preservatives.

Pharmaceutical Considerations of Translabial Formulations for Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: A Concept of Drug Delivery for Unconscious Patients.

PURPOSE: The goal of the present research was to isolate a biopolymer from Phaseolus vulgaris (P. vulgaris) and Zea mays (Z. mays) plants and used it to construct Resveratrol (RES)-loaded translabial films. METHODS: Biopolymers were extracted from P. vulgaris and Z. mays seeds using a simple process. Separated biopolymers, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) and tragacanth were subjected to formulation development by incorporating RES-loaded translabial films. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), physical appearance, weight, thickness, folding endurance, swelling index, surface pH, percent moisture absorption, percent moisture loss, vapor transfer rate, and content uniformity of the translabial films were examined. The mucoadhesive, ex-vivo permeation, in vivo and stability studies, were performed. RESULTS: The results showed that RES-loaded translabial films produced from P. vulgaris and Z. mays biopolymers exhibited exceptional mucoadhesive, stability, and permeation properties. Results revealed that the best formulations were prepared from a combination of biopolymer (P. vulgaris C or Z. mays C) with tragacanth. Formulations with tragacanth revealed good swelling and thus permeation profiles. In vivo release of TL 11 was found to be 24.05 ng/ml in 10 hours and it was stable enough at 45°C. CONCLUSION: This research suggested that RES-loaded translabial formulations can be potentially used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease with good patient compliance to geriatric and unconscious patients.

A review on remediation of dye adulterated system by ecologically innocuous "biopolymers/natural gums-based composites".

The mitigation of wastewater exploiting biopolymers/natural gums-based composites is an appealing research theme in today's scenario. The following review presents a comprehensive description of the polysaccharides derived from biopolymers (chitosan, collagen, cellulose, starch, pectin, lignin, and alginate) and natural gums (guar, gellan, carrageenan, karaya, moringa oliefera, tragacanth, and xanthan gum). These biopolymers/natural gums-based composites depicted excellent surface functionality, non-toxicity, economic and environmental viability, which corroborated them as potential candidates in the decontamination process. The presence of -OH, -COOH, and -NH functional groups in their backbone rendered them tailorable for modification/functionalization, and anchor an array of pollutants via electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and Van der Waals forces. Further, due to these functional moieties, these bio-based composites revealed an excellent adsorption capacity than conventional adsorbents. This review provides an overview of the classification of biopolymers/natural gums based on their origin, different ways of their modification, and the remediation of dye-contaminated aqueous environments employing diverse bio-based adsorbents. The isotherm, kinetic modelling along with thermodynamics of the adsorption process is discussed. Additionally, the reusable efficacy of these bio-adsorbents is reviewed.

Pharmaceutical Assessment of Watermelon Rind Pectin as a Suspending Agent in Oral Liquid Dosage Forms.

Pectin is a high molecular weight polymer which is present in virtually all plants where it contributes to the cell structure. Pectin is a high valuable food ingredient widely used as a gelling agent and thickening agent with limited use in the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this study is to evaluate the suspending properties of pectin from watermelon rind. Tragacanth was used as a standard suspending agent to which the suspending properties of pectin from watermelon rinds were compared with. The extracted pectin was subjected to phytochemical and physiochemical characterization for its safety and suitability to use as a suspending agent. Paracetamol suspensions were formulated using tragacanth concentrations of 0.5% w/v, 1% w/v, and 2% w/v and compared with paracetamol suspensions containing the same concentrations of watermelon pectin. The suspensions were all tested for their pH, sedimentation rate, sedimentation volume, flow rate, and ease of redispersibility over a period of 4 weeks. At the end of the 4-week period, all formulated suspensions had no changes in their pH values. Suspensions containing the extracted pectin had a lower rate of sedimentation and ease of redispersibility compared to that of tragacanth. In addition, their sedimentation volumes as well as flow rates were comparable to that of the tragacanth formulations. Ultimately, pectin from watermelon rind can serve as a suitable alternative to tragacanth in formulation of pharmaceutical suspensions.

Tragacanth gum coating suppresses the disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides and delays softening of harvested mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit.

Mango is a climacteric fruit and is prone to high perishability. The rapid softening and ripening (due to degradation and disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides) are the major limitations in extending the storability of the harvested mango fruits. Various types of gum-based edible coatings have been reported for the shelf life extension of mango fruits. Tragacanth gum (TCG) also has appropriate coating properties. Its use as an edible coating has been reported on certain fruits. However, the effect of TCG coating in the regulation of harvested mango fruits ripening and softening has not been reported yet. So, the objective of this work was to investigate the effect of TCG (control, 0.5 %, 1 % and 1.5 %) coating on postharvest softening and ripening of harvested mango fruits. TCG coating affected the ripening and softening of mango in a dose-dependent manner. Results exhibited that mango fruits coated with 1.5 % TCG showed substantially lower disease incidence and weight loss. The 1.5 % TCG-coated mangoes showed substantially lower ethylene biosynthesis and respiration rate peaks as well as superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide contents compared with the control. In the same way, 1.5 % TCG-coated mango fruits had markedly higher total chlorophyll content and lower L*, b* and a* along with substantially lower total carotenoids in peel tissues. Mango fruits coated with 1.5 % TCG exhibited markedly lower water-soluble pectin and higher chelate-soluble pectin, Na2CO3-soluble pectin, protopectin, cellulose and hemicellulose in flesh tissues compared with control. The activity of polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase (CX), pectin methylesterase (PME), ß-galactosidase (ß-Gal) and ß-glucosidase (ß-Glu) were significantly lower in flesh of 1.5 % TCG treated fruits along with substantially higher firmness in contrast with control. In addition, 1.5 % TCG coating treatment showed significantly higher activity of antioxidative enzymes and delayed the increase in soluble solids content (SSC) and ripening index (RI) along with considerably higher titratable acidity (TA) compared with the untreated control. So, pre-storage TCG based edible coating (1.5 %) could be applied to delay ripening and softening in mango fruit industry under postharvest ambient conditions.

Gum tragacanth-sodium alginate active coatings containing epigallocatechin gallate reduce hydrogen peroxide content and inhibit lipid and protein oxidations of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during superchilling storage.

The active coatings supplemented with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (0.16 %, 0.32 %, and 0.64 %, respectively) combined with superchilling storage (-3 ± 0.2 °C) were used to reduce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, and inhibit lipid and protein oxidations of large yellow croaker during 42 days of superchilling storage. EGCG coatings delayed lipid and protein oxidations by inhibiting the generation of H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl groups, and maintaining a higher Ca2+-ATPase activity and sulfhydryl content. We also observed that EGCG treatments maintained myofibrillar organized secondary structure by keeping higher α-helix content, and also stabilized tertiary structure during superchilling storage. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) revealed that EGCG treatments might improve the association of water molecules with protein for fixed water. In addition, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images both showed that these treatments could delay the myofibrillar degradation of fresh fish. Overall, we report that the active coatings containing EGCG treatments protect the lipid and protein of large yellow croaker during superchilling storage.

Tragacanth gum-based multifunctional hydrogels and green synthesis of their silver nanocomposites for drug delivery and inactivation of multidrug resistant bacteria.

This study investigated natural polymer-based stimuli-responsive hydrogels (TGIAVE) and their silver nanocomposites (TGIAVE-Ag). The hydrogels were composed of tragacanth gum, N-isopropyl acrylamide, and 2-(vinlyoxy) ethanol and were prepared via simple redox polymerization using N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide as a crosslinker and potassium persulfate as an initiator. The TGIAVE-Ag were synthesized via a green method involving an aqueous extract of Terminalia bellirica seeds. Structural, thermal, crystallinity, morphology, and size characteristics of the TGIAVE and TGIAVE-Ag were investigated by FTIR, UV-Vis, XRD, DSC, SEM, EDS, DLS, and TEM. To understand the physicochemical interaction and diffusion characteristics of TGIAVEs, network parameters such as zero-order, first-order, Hixson-Crowell, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer-Peppas values were calculated by assessing swelling data. TGIAVE hydrogels at pH 1.2 and 7.4 and temperatures of 25 and 37 °C may be used for time-dependent controlled release of 5-fluorouracil, an anticancer drug, TGIAVE-Ag may be applied for the inactivation of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria.

Biologically active PET/polysaccharide-based nanofibers post-treated with selenium/Tragacanth Gum nanobiocomposites.

Polysaccharide-based nanofibers from Tragacanth Gum (TG) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were post-treated with selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) and also stabilized with TG (SeNPs/TG). DLS, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, and XRD were employed to verify the synthesis of Se NPs. The relatively narrow size distribution of SeNPs/TG showed through TEM and DLS investigations comparing with Se NPs. The Se NPs formation with and without TG was studied with FTIR confirmed the final stabilized solution due to the bonded hydroxyl groups of TG with Se NPs. Also, a relatively higher antioxidant reported on SeNPs/TG at 0.5-5 mg/mL using DPPH scavenging ability. The Se NPs and SeNPs/TG solutions specified remarkable inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; however, no significant antibacterial activities observed on the treated nanofibers. Finally, the uniform migration of fibroblast cells in wound healing of the treated nanofibers with SeNPs/TG proved the value of the products in medical applications.

Novel pH-sensitive alginate hydrogel delivery system reinforced with gum tragacanth for intestinal targeting of nutraceuticals.

The present study utilizes the novel combination of Gum tragacanth (GT) and sodium alginate (SA) to reinforce SA hydrogel beads. The composite hydrogel beads were encapsulated with phenolic compounds extracted from Basella sps. The rheological studies conferred increased elastic property of GT incorporated formulations. Higher swelling behavior was observed in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) with increasing GT content in SA formulations. SA-GT composite hydrogels revealed increased encapsulation efficiency with sustained release of phenolic compounds in SIF. GT incorporated hydrogel beads exhibited increased biodegradation (up to 82% weight loss) in biodegradation media (in vitro). FTIR study found no molecular interaction between SA and GT. TGA analysis revealed that GT incorporation did not affect the thermal behavior of SA. Furthermore, SA-GT encapsulated hydrogels showed remarkable cytotoxicity against osteosarcoma cells. Thus our findings suggest SA-GT gel formulation could be used as a promising delivery system for drugs and nutraceutical compounds.

In vitro digestion of polysaccharide including whey protein isolate hydrogels.

Hydrogels are great systems for bioactive agent encapsulation and delivery. In this study, polysaccharide blended whey protein isolate (WPI) based hydrogels were loaded with black carrot (Daucus carota) concentrate (BC) and in vitro gastrointestinal release measurements were performed. Prior to 6 h digestion in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), all hydrogels were exposed to simulated gastric fluid (SGF) for 2 h. Pectin (PC), gum tragacanth (GT) and xanthan gum (XG) were the polysaccharides used with WPI to manipulate the release behavior. Physico-chemical changes of the hydrogels throughout the digestion were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry measurements. Each polysaccharide induced different physico-chemical interactions within the hydrogels due to their distinct structural characteristics. Polysaccharide blending to hydrogels also retarded the release rates in all samples in SIF (p < 0.05). Moreover, microstructural differences between hydrogels were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images.

Development of adjuvant nanocarrier systems for seasonal influenza A (H3N2) vaccine based on Astragaloside VII and gum tragacanth (APS).

Adjuvants are chemical/biological substances that are used in vaccines to increase the immunogenicity of antigens. A few adjuvants have been developed for use in human vaccines because of their limitations including lack of efficacy, unacceptable local or systemic toxicity, the difficulty of manufacturing, poor stability, and high cost. For that reasons, novel adjuvants/adjuvant systems are under search. Astragaloside VII (AST-VII), isolated from Astragalus trojanus, exhibited significant cellular and humoral immune responses. The polysaccharides (APS) obtained from the roots of Astragalus species have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and possess strong immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, the immunomodulatory effects of a newly developed nanocarrier system (APNS: APS containing carrier) and its AST-VII containing formulation (ANS: AST-VII + APNS), on seasonal influenza A (H3N2) vaccine were investigated. Inactivated H3N2 alone or its combinations with test compounds/formulations were intramuscularly injected into Swiss albino mice. Four weeks after immunization, the immune responses were evaluated in terms of antibody and cytokine responses as well as splenocyte proliferation. APNS demonstrated Th2 mediated response by increasing IgG1 antibody titers, whereas ANS showed response towards Th1/Th2 balance and Th17 by producing of IFN-γ, IL-17A and IgG2a. Based on these results, we propose that APNS and ANS are good candidates to be utilized in seasonal influenza A vaccines as adjuvants/carrier systems.

In vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of thymol loaded bipolymeric (tragacanth gum/chitosan) nanocarrier.

Thymol is a natural bioactive agent which possesses various medicinal properties like antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer etc. and has been widely used in traditional medicine and food industries. It is eco-friendly, cheap, nontoxic and has been granted generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notation by USFDA. Its use is somewhat muted due to drawbacks like lesser bioavailability, comparatively poor solubility and low susceptibility to oxidation. In the present work, nanoformulation of thymol was prepared by ionic complexation of tragacanth gum and chitosan. Chitosan of different concentrations was used to obtain desired particle size and encapsulation efficiency. It was noted that a ratio of 1:2 (tragacanth gum:chitosan) yielded a minimum particle size along with higher encapsulation efficiency. Morphology of these optimized nanoparticles was found to be spherical using TEM. These particles were found in the size range of 150-200 nm. Further comparative study of the prepared nanoformulation and thymol for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory efficacy was done using DPPH method and HRBC (Human red blood cell) stabilization method. The results suggested an increase in both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of thymol nanoformulation. This study will open up new avenues for application in the field of food and pharmaceutical industries.

Production of core-shell nanofibers from zein and tragacanth for encapsulation of saffron extract.

In this study, encapsulation of aqueous saffron extract (ASE) was studied using a core-shell nanofiber structure (zein-tragacanth) via coaxial electrospinning technique. Morphological features of nanofibers were investigated under different processing conditions (polymer concentration and applied voltage). The nanofibers produced under optimum criteria had diameter in a range of 95 to 271 nm. Concentration of zein and percentage of ASE were found to be critical factors affecting loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE). The range of LC and EE were 3.57-9.52% and 60.89-91.55%, respectively. FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterizations demonstrated that ASE was appropriately encapsulated in the nanofibers matrix with high thermal stability. TEM images showed a core-shell structure. Release values of 21.66, 27.75, 43.88 and 16.12% of saffron extract were observed in saliva, hot water, gastric and intestinal media, respectively. Mechanism of safranal release from fibers for saliva, water, gastric and intestinal were well demonstrated by Kopcha, Peppas-Sahlin, Peppas-Sahlin and Ritger-Peppas models, respectively. Finally, the results of this research indicated that produced thermostable core-shell nanofibers can be used in various food industries such as chewing gum and tea bag development.

Fabrication of lecithin-gum tragacanth muco-adhesive hybrid nano-carrier system for in-vivo performance of Amphotericin B.

Nano-carriers are excellent systems for improving bioavailability of poor aqueous soluble drugs. This study focuses fabrication of lecithin-gum tragacanth muco-adhesive hybrid NPs for enhancing Amphotericin B (AmpB) oral bioavailability. AmpB loaded lecithin NPs were synthesized through solvent diffusion method. Green synthesis of stable muco-adhesive gum tragacanth (GT) gold NPs was confirmed through UV-vis spectrophotometer and FT-IR. AmpB loaded lecithin NPs hybrid with GT gold NPs were characterized for shape, size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, drug entrapment efficiency and drug-excepients interactions using atomic force microscope (AFM), zetasizer, UV-vis spectrophotometer and FT-IR respectively. In-vivo bioavailability of AmpB loaded in NPs was investigated in rabbits. AmpB loaded muco-adhesive NPs were found polydispersed with 358.3 ±â€¯1.78 nm mean size and -19.9 ±â€¯0.51 mV zeta potential. They entrapped 78.91 ±â€¯2.44% AmpB and enhanced its oral bioavailability in animals. Results reveal the hybrid NPs as efficient carriers for enhancing AmpB oral bioavailability in controlled manner.

Tragacanth nanocapsules containing Chamomile extract prepared through sono-assisted W/O/W microemulsion and UV cured on cotton fabric.

Encapsulation is the best method to protect the plant extracts against volatility and instability in the presence of air, light, moisture and high temperatures. Nevertheless, application of encapsulated plant extracts on the textiles requires a low-temperature and high rate processing to avoid from breaking or destroying of capsules. The present paper represents application of nanocapsules prepared by ultrasound irradiation assisted W/O/W microemulsion method on the cotton fabric through UV curing method. The surface and structure of nanocapsules and treated cotton fabric using FESEM and FT-IR indicated the spherical nanocapsules with size of 60-80nm stabilized on the fabric surface in a film layer feature. Also, the treated cotton fabric showed a good release behavior of 96h, a high stability against washing and rubbing tests and a relative good antimicrobial activity with 91, 89 and 94% reduction against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans, respectively.

Encapsulation of Aloe Vera extract into natural Tragacanth Gum as a novel green wound healing product.

Application of natural materials in wound healing is an interest topic due to effective treatment with no side effects. In this paper, Aloe Vera extract was encapsulated into Tragacanth Gum through a sonochemical microemulsion process to prepare a wound healing product. FESEM/EDX and FT-IR proved the successfully formation of the nanocapsules with spherical shape by cross-linking aluminum ions with Tragacanth Gum. The therapeutic characteristics of the prepared wound healing product were investigated using antimicrobial, cytotoxicity and wound healing assays. Relative high antimicrobial activities with the microbial reduction of 84, 91 and 80% against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans, a cell viability of 98% against human fibroblast cells and a good wound healing activity with considerable migration rate of fibroblast cells are the important advantages of the new formed wound healing product.

Tragacanth gum as a natural polymeric wall for producing antimicrobial nanocapsules loaded with plant extract.

Tragacanth gum as a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer with good properties including emulsifying, viscosity and cross-linking ability can be used as the wall material in encapsulation of different compounds, specifically plant extracts. In this paper, for the first time, Tragacanth gum was used to produce nanocapsules containing plant extract through microemulsion method. The effect of different parameters on the average size of prepared nanocapsules in presence of aluminum and calcium chloride through ultrasonic and magnetic stirrer was investigated. The high efficient nanocapsules were prepared with spherical shape and smooth surface. The average size of nanocapsules prepared through ultrasonic using aluminum chloride (22nm) was smaller than other products. The structure of prepared nanocapsules was studied by FT-IR spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of different nanocapsules against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans was investigated by shake flask method during their release showed 100% microbial reduction after 12h stirring.

Comparative clinical evaluation on herbal formulation Pepsil, Safoof-e-Katira and Omeprazole in gastro esophageal reflux disease.

This study was conducted to evaluate the role of Unani herbal drugs Pepsil and Safoof-e-katira on the gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). This was multicentre randomized case control study conducted at Matab Hakeem Muhammad Noor-ud-din, Burewala; Aziz Muhammad din Medical and Surgical Centre, Burewala and Shifa-ul-mulk Memorial Hospital, Hamdard University Karachi. The patients were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. In test group-1 the male female ratio was 40%, 60%; test group-2 was 42%, 58% and in control group was 44%, 56% respectively. The observed symptoms in the study were increased appetite (TG-1-95%, TG-2-95% and CG-89%), difficulty in swallowing (TG-1-93%, TG-2-96% and TC-94%), belching/burping (TG-1-97%, TG-2-97% and CG-95%), vomiting (TG-1-90%, TG-2-96% and CG-89%), heart burn (TG-1-100%, TG-2-100% and CG-98%), palpitation (TG-1-100%, TG-2-100% and CG-97%), epigastric pain (TG-1-97%, TG-2-97% and CG-90%), abdominal cramps (TG-1-97%, TG-2-98% and CG-95%), tenesmus (TG-1-100%, TG-2-100% and CG-97%), flatulence (TG-1-100%, TG-2-75% and CG-95%), wakeup during sleep (TG-1-94%, TG-2-87% and CG-94%). The p-value of the results of the symptoms was 0.000 except flatulence where the value was 0.001. The statistical results of the study prescribed that all the drugs studied (Pepsil, Safoof-e-katira and Omeprazole) are highly significant. The herbal coded drug Pepsil showed no side effects and unani herbal drug safoof-e-katira showed minimum result of 75% in the patients while Omeprazole resulted with some side effects. In the result it can be concluded that the herbal coded drug Pepsil is a potent herbal drug for gastro esophageal reflux disease.

Evaluation of Plantago major L. seed mucilage as a rate controlling matrix for sustained release of propranolol hydrochloride.

Polysaccharide mucilage derived from the seeds of Plantago major L. (family Plantaginaceae) was investigated for use in matrix formulations containing propranolol hydrochloride. HPMC K4M and tragacanth were used as standards for comparison. The hardness, tensile strength, and friability of tablets increased as the concentration of mucilage increased, indicating good compactibility of mucilage powders. The rate of release of propranolol hydrochloride from P. major mucilage matrices was mainly controlled by the drug/mucilage ratio. Formulations containing P. major mucilage were found to exhibit a release rate comparable to HPMC containing matrices at a lower drug/polymer ratio (drug/HPMC 2:1). These results demonstrated that P. major mucilage is a better release retardant compared to tragacanth at an equivalent content. The results of kinetic analysis showed that in F3 (containing 1:2 drug/mucilage) the highest correlation coefficient was achieved with the zero order model. The swelling and erosion studies revealed that as the proportion of mucilage in tablets was increased, there was a corresponding increase in percent swelling and a decrease in percent erosion of tablets. The DSC and FT-IR studies showed that no formation of complex between the drug and mucilage or changes in crystallinity of the drug had occurred.