Gum Damar:
Gum damar (GD) is a whitish to yellowish natural gum of
plant Shorea wiesneri (family Dipterocarpaceae). It contains
about 40% alpha-resin (resin that dissolves in alcohol), 22%
13 beta resin, 23% dammarol acid and 2.5% water .
It has been used for water-resistant coating and in
pharmaceutical and dental industries for its strong binding
90 properties . In India, Sal damar has been widely utilized in
91 the indigenous system of medicine .
Natural gum copal and gum damar as novel sustained release
matrix forming materials in tablet formulation was evaluated.
Matrix tablets were prepared by wet granulation technique
using isopropyl alcohol as a granulating agent. Diclofenac
sodium was used as a model drug. Effect of gum
concentration (10, 20 and 30% w/w with respect to total tablet
weight) on in vitro drug release profile was examined. Matrix
tablets with 30% w/w gum copal and gum damar showed
sustained drug delivery beyond 10 h. Drug release from gum
copal matrix tablets followed zero order kinetics while gum
damar (10 and 20% w/w) was found suitable to formulate the
insoluble plastic matrix that releases the drug by diffusion. It
was concluded that both gums possess substantial matrix
forming property that could be used for sustained drug
13 delivery .