Biology and Medicine

Abstract

An Overview of Natural Polysaccharides as Biological Macromolecules: Their Chemical Modifications and Pharmaceutical Applications

Harshal Ashok Pawar, Swati Ramesh Kamat and Pritam Dinesh Choudhary

Any pharmaceutical formulation contains two ingredients one is the active ingredient and other is an excipients. An excipient helps in the manufacturing of dosage form and it also improves physicochemical parameters of the dosage form. Polymers play an important role as excipients in pharmaceutical dosage form. They influence drug release and should be compatible, non-toxic, stable, economic etc. Biopolymers, synthetic polymers and their derivatives are commonly used in medicine and pharmacy. They are broadly classified as natural polymers and synthetic polymers. Nowadays, due to many problems associated with drug release and side effects manufacturers are inclined towards using natural polymers and their derivatives. Natural polymers are basically polysaccharides so they are biocompatible and without any side effects. This review article aims at discussing various sources, pharmaceutical applications and the different techniques used for modification of natural polymers