FDA-Approved Natural Polymers for Fast Dissolving Tablets

Oral route is the most preferred route for administration of different drugs because it is regarded as safest, most convenient, and economical route. Fast disintegrating tablets are very popular nowadays as they get dissolved or facilely disintegrated in mouth within few seconds of administration without the need of water. The disadvantages of conventional dosage form, especially dysphagia (arduousness in swallowing), in pediatric and geriatric patients have been overcome by fast dissolving tablets. Natural materials have advantages over synthetic ones since they are chemically inert, non-toxic, less expensive, biodegradable and widely available. Natural polymers like locust bean gum, banana powder, mango peel pectin, Mangifera indica gum, and Hibiscus rosa-sinenses mucilage ameliorate the properties of tablet and utilized as binder, diluent, and superdisintegrants increase the solubility of poorly water soluble drug, decrease the disintegration time, and provide nutritional supplement. Natural polymers are obtained from the natural origin and they are cost efficacious, nontoxic, biodegradable, eco-friendly, devoid of any side effect, renewable, and provide nutritional supplement. It is proved from the studies that natural polymers are more safe and efficacious than the synthetic polymers. The aim of the present article is to study the FDA-approved natural polymers utilized in fast dissolving tablets. 1. Introduction Of all the dosage forms administered orally, the tablet is one of the most preferred dosage forms. Disintegrants are agents integrated to tablet and some encapsulated formulations to promote the breakup of the tablet and capsule “slugs” into more small fragments in an aqueous environment thereby incrementing the available surface area and promoting a more rapid release of the drug substance. They promote moisture penetration and dispersion of the tablet matrix. Tablet disintegration has received considerable attention as an essential step in obtaining fast drug release. The accentuation on the availability of drug highlights the importance of the relatively rapid disintegration of a tablet as a criterion for ascertaining uninhibited drug dissolution behavior. Number of factors affects the disintegration replace of tablets. The disintegrants have the major function to oppose the efficiency of the tablet binder and the physical forces that act under compression to compose the tablet. The more strong the binder, the more efficacious must be the disintegrating agents in order for the tablet to release its medication. Ideally, it should cause