# PCG Assignment
Date:5Th,January, 2025
Group no.: Group 1
Course: PCG(Vegetable drugs ( Organised and unorganized)
Assignment
[Link] are Gums?
[Link] are Mucilage?
[Link] in Pharmacognosy
- Gums are natural exudates that are composed of complex
polysaccharides. They are amorphous,translucent substances that are
soluble in water and insoluble in [Link] are used in variety of
Pharmaceutical applications, these include using them as binders,
emulsifiers, suspending agents and controlled-released agents.
Gums formation
Gums are abnormal products formed by :
-Injury of the plants
-Under unfavorable conditions (e.g drought)
-break down of cell walls (a process of extra cellular formation called
Gummosis
Gums Occurrence
Gums are commonly found in trees and shrubs of a number of families of
plants especially:
-leguminosae
-Rosaceae
-Sterculiaceae
-Rutaceae
*Constituent of Gums:
-Gums consist of Calcium, Magnesium and potassium salts of
polyuronides.
-Gum can be hydrolysed by prolonged boiling with dilute acids to yield a
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mixture of sugar s and ironic acids.
Sugars=monosaccharides(mainly Ga lactose,Arabinose,Xylose)
Classification of Gums
The natural gums are classified based on their chemical structure, shape,
charge,relation behaviour and origin.
[Link] on chemical structure
(a) Galactomannans: e.g Fenugreek gum,Cassia gum,Tara gum e.t.c
(b)Glucomannans: e.g Konjac glucomannan
(c)Uronic acid conjugating system: e.g Xantum gum
(d)Tri-heteroglycans: e.g Gellan gum
(e)Tetra-heteroglycan: e.g Gum Arabic, psyllium seed gum
(f) Penta-heteroglycan: Gum ghatti,Tragacanth
[Link] on shape
(a) Linear: Algins, Cellulose, pectin
(b)Branched:
*Short-branch: Xanthan, Xylan
*Branch on branch: Amylopectin,Gum arabic
[Link] on charge
(a)Non-ionic seed gums: e.g Guar gum, Locust bean gum, Tamarind seed
gum, Xanthan gum, Galactomannans.
(b)Anionic gums: Arabic gum , Karaya gum, Agar, Algin
(c)Cationic gums: e.g Chitosan,
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[Link] on gelation behavior
(a) Cold set gels (form gels on cooling the solution): e.g Flaxed gum,
Gelatin.
(b)Heat set gels (form gels on heating the solutionacid,,,,e.g Konjac
glucomannan.
(c) Re-entrant gels (from which Galactose residues are removed): e.g
Xyloglucan
[Link] on Origin:
(a)Seed gums: e.g Guar gum, TaPectin,, gum, Locust bean gum, karaya
gum.
(b) Plant exudate: e.g Arabic gum, Acacia gum, Tragacanth.
(c) Plant extract: e.g Pectin, larch gum.
(d) Plant tuber and roots: e.g Potato and Roots.
(e)Microbial exudates: Gellan gum,Tara gum, Xanthan gum, Dextran,
Spruce gum.
(f)Sea weeds: e.g Alginic acid,Sodium alginate.
(g) Animal origin: e.g Chitin, Chitosan, Chondroitin sulphate,Hyaluronic
Acid.
Pharmaceutical Application of Gums
[Link]: Gums are used as binders in tablets and capsules to help hold
the ingredients together.
[Link]fiers: Gums are used as emulsifiers to help stabilize emulsions,
which are mixture of two or more immiscible liquid
[Link] agents: Gums are used as suspending agents to help keep
solid particles suspended in a liquid.
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[Link]-release agents: Gums are used as controlled-release agents
to help control the release of a drug from a formulation.
Examples of natural gums
[Link] Gum
Definition:
Sterculia gum is the gummy exudate obtained from the tree Sterculia
urens .(sterculiaceae)
Common names:
-Karaya gum
-Indian tragacanth
-Bassora tragacanth
Geographical sources:
India, Pakistan and Africa
Adulteration:
It can be adulterated by these gums:
-Chitral gum (A. strobiliferous)
-Tragacanth gum
Constituents:
*Uronic acid
Partial hydrolysis yield:
*D- galactose
*L- rhamnose
*D-galacturonic acid
*Acetic acid
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Characteristics:
-Good quality of the gum occurs in irregular, almost colourless,translucent,
striated masses.
-Medium grade: appears pinkish
-Lower grade: appears very dark and contain large amount of bark.
-Sterculia gum has the distinct odour of acetic acid.
Uses:
-Granular grades are used as a bulk laxative.
-powdered form of the gum is used in lozenges and pastes.
2. ACACIA GUM
*Common names
Acacia gum, Acacia vera, Egyptian thorn, Gummi africanum, Gum Senegal,
Gummae mimosae, Kher,
Sudan gum arabic, Somali gum, Yellow thorn, Indian Gum and Gum Arabic.
*Biological Source
According to the USP, acacia is the dried gummy exuda-tion obtained from
the stems and branches
of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd or other African species of Acacia. In India, it
is found as dried gummy
exudation obtained from the stems and branches of Acacia arabica Willd,
belonging to family
Leguminosae
Geographical Source
Acacia senegal is the characteristic species in the drier parts of
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and the
northern Sahara, and is to be found throughout the vast area from Senegal
to the Red Sea and to
eastern India. It extends southwards to northern Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya,
Tanzania and southern
Africa. The plant is extensively found in Arabia, Kordofan (North-East
Africa), Sri Lanka and
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Morocco. In India it is found chiefly in Punjab,
*Characteristics
(a)Colour:
*Tears are usually white pale-yellow and sometimes creamish brown to red
in colour.
*The powder has off-white,pale-yellow or light-brown in appearance.
*Odour :
- It is odourless
*Taste:
-It tastes mucilaginous.
*Shape and size:
-Spheroidal or ovoid in shape and having a diameter of about 2.5cm to
3.0cm.
*Uses of Acacia gums:
The mucilage of acacia is employed as a demulcent. It is used extensively
as a vital pharmaceutical
aid for emulsification and to serve as a thickening agent. It finds its
enormous application as a
binding agent for tablets, for example, cough lozenges. It is used in the
process of
employed as a demulcent. It is used extensively as a vital pharmaceutical
aid for emulsification and to serve as a thickening agent. It finds its
enormous application as a
binding agent for tablets, for example, cough lozenges. It is used in the
process of
employed as a demulcent. It is used extensively as a vital pharmaceutical
aid for emulsification and to serve as a thickening agent. It finds its
enormous application as a
binding agent for tablets, for example, cough lozenges. It is used in the
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process of ‘granulation’ for the manufacturing of tablets.
[Link]
*Synonyms: Goat’s thorn, gum dragon, gum tragacanth, hog gum.
*Biological Source
It is the air dried gummy exudates, flowing naturally or obtained by
incision, from the stems and
branches of Astra-galus gummifer Labill and certain other species of
Astragalus,belonging to family
Leguminosae.
*Geographical source:
Various species of Astragalus which yield gum are abundantly found in the
mountainous region of
Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq and the former U.S.S.R. at an altitude of about 1,000
important varieties of tragacanth, that is, Persian tragacanth and Smyrana
or Anatolian trag
come from Iran and turkey respectively. In India it is found wild in Kumaon
and Garhwal region.
*Chemical Constituents
Interestingly, tragacanth comprises two vital fractions: first, being water
soluble and is termed as
‘tragacanthin’ and the second, being water insoluble and is known as
‘bassorin’. Both are not
soluble in alcohol. The said two components may be separated using
simple filtration.
*Advantages of using gums in Pharmaceutical formulation:
-Natural: Gums are natural products, so they are generally considered to be
safe for use in Pharmaceutical formulations.
-Biocompatible: Gums are biocompatible, which means that they are
compatible with human body.
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[Link] in Pharmacognosy
Mucilages are normal products of metabolism formed within the cell
(intracellular formation) rather than as exudates from injuries. They are
composed of high molecular weight [Link] form viscous
solutions or gels when mixed with water.
*Key characteristics:
-Composition: primarily composed of polysaccharides upon containing
ironic acids.
-Solubility: soluble in water forming viscous solutions or gels.
-Source: found in various plants parts, including roots ,seeds,leaves and
stems.
*Pharmaceutical Application:
-Demulcent: soothes irritated mucous membranes.
-Emollients: soften and moisturize the skin.
-Suspending agents: keep solid particles suspended in liquid.
-Controlled-release agents: control release of drugs from formulations.
-Laxatives: Increase stool bulk and promote bowel movements.
*Common Plants Sources of Mucilage:
(a) Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum):
It is rich in mucilage. It is used as a laxative and demulcent.
(b) Psyllium husk(Plantago):
It contains mucilage. It is used as a bulk forming laxative.
(c) Marshmallow root(Althea officinalis):
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It contains mucilage. It is used as a demulcent and soothing agent for
cough and sore throat .
(d)Slippery elm bark(Ulmus rubra):
It contains mucilage. It is used as a demulcent and soothing agent for
digestive issues.
*Advantages of using mucilages
-Natural: They are generally considered to be safe since They are derived
from natural sources.
-Biocompatible: They are compatible with human body.
-Versatile: They are used in various pharmaceutical formulations.
*References
-Textbook of Pharmacognosy(Mohammad
Ali).
-Journal of scientific and innovative research.
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A
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