This study was undertaken to explore gum from Bombax buonopozense calyxes as a binding agent in formulation of immediate release dosage forms using wet granulation method. The granules were characterized to assess the flow and compression properties and when compressed, non-compendial and compendial tests were undertaken to assess the tablet properties for tablets prepared with bombax gum in comparison with those prepared with tragacanth and acacia gums. Granules prepared with bombax exhibited good flow and compressible properties with angle of repose 28.60°, Carr’s compressibility of 21.30% and Hausner’s quotient of 1.27. The tablets were hard, but did not disintegrate after one hour. Furthermore, only 52.5% of paracetamol was released after one hour. The drug release profile followed zero order kinetics. Tablets prepared with bombax gum have the potential to deliver drugs in a controlled manner over a prolonged period at a constant rate.
Over the past fifty years, environmental pollution from non‐biodegradable petroleum‐based plastics has worsened and become a real threat to marine life and human health. Thus, solutions to plastic pollution are urgently needed for reducing the contamination of soil and water resources. Developing alternative biodegradable plastics derived from renewable resources is an emerging research focus that can alleviate the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising biodegradable biopolymers for replacing plastics derived from fossil fuel resources. The large scale commercialization of PHAs is not yet feasible due to their high production cost, which is largely associated with the feedstock cost. Using readily available carbon sources from underutilized lignocellulosic biomass and non‐recyclable plastic wastes allows for feedstock cost reduction and for the production of value‐added PHA bioplastics, and this significantly contributes to the solution of plastic pollution in a circular economy approach. This review highlights the recent efforts for valorizing plastic and lignocellulosic wastes to produce PHAs through a biotechnological approach using a two‐step methodology. In the first step, plastic (PE, PP, PS, PET) and lignocellulosic (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) macromolecules are depolymerized and converted to smaller fragments/monomers, which will be utilized for the subsequent bio‐upcycling step via fermentation process to produce PHAs. Pyrolyzed plastic wastes and hydrolysates from lignocellulosic waste biomass will facilitate the transition from linear to circular economy, lower the production cost of PHAs, and contribute to the solution of plastic pollution in a practical, economical, and sustainable approach. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Encapsulation, specifically microencapsulation is an old technology with increasing applications in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, environmental, food, and cosmetic spaces. In the past two decades, the advancements in the field of nanotechnology opened the door for applying the encapsulation technology at the nanoscale level. Nanoencapsulation is highly utilized in designing effective drug delivery systems (DDSs) due to the fact that delivery of the encapsulated therapeutic/diagnostic agents to various sites in the human body depends on the size of the nanoparticles. Compared to microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation has superior performance which can improve bioavailability, increase drug solubility, delay or control drug release and enhance active/passive targeting of bioactive agents to the sites of action. Encapsulation, either micro- or nanoencapsulation is employed for the conventional pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, biologics, or bioactive drugs from natural sources as well as for diagnostics such as biomarkers. The outcome of any encapsulation process depends on the technique employed and the encapsulating material. This chapter discusses in details (1) various physical, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and physicochemical encapsulation techniques, (2) types and classifications of natural polymers (polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids) as safer, biocompatible and biodegradable encapsulating materials, and (3) the recent advances in using lipids for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Polysaccharides and proteins are covered in the second part of this chapter.
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