11.1. Pharmaceutical applications
Polysaccharides have a number of applications in the formulation of pharmaceutical products. They are incorporated into lotions and gels toimpart specific rheological properties to the preparations. The materials used are mainly of plant or algal origin, including alginate, but various microbial polysaccharides, including xanthan, may also find such uses. The properties utilized are essentially the same as those employed in food preparations and also take advantage of the ‘mouth-feel’ and lack of flavor of the polymers. The shear-thining capabilities of xanthan have caused it to be used in some toothpastes, where it permits the product to be readily squeezed from a tube and regain its viscosity on leaving the container. In his role, the flavor release by the bacterial polysaccharide is also important. New gel-forming microbial products such as gellan clearly have potential uses in the pharmaceutical area, as do polymers capable of forming coacervates with gelatin, etc.