Drug dosage forms contain many components in addition to the active\r\npharmaceutical ingredient(s) to assist in the manufacturing process as well as to optimise\r\ndrug delivery. Due to advances in drug delivery technology, excipients are currently\r\nincluded in novel dosage forms to fulfil specific functions and in some cases they directly\r\nor indirectly influence the extent and/or rate of drug release and absorption. Since plant\r\npolysaccharides comply with many requirements expected of pharmaceutical excipients\r\nsuch as non-toxicity, stability, availability and renewability they are extensively\r\ninvestigated for use in the development of solid oral dosage forms. Furthermore,\r\npolysaccharides with varying physicochemical properties can be extracted from plants at\r\nrelatively low cost and can be chemically modified to suit specific needs. As an example,\r\nmany polysaccharide-rich plant materials are successfully used as matrix formers in\r\nmodified release dosage forms. Some natural polysaccharides have even shown\r\nenvironmental-responsive gelation characteristics with the potential to control drug release\r\naccording to specific therapeutic needs. This review discusses some of the most important\r\nplant-derived polymeric compounds that are used or investigated as excipients in drug\r\ndelivery systems.
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