Soothing Properties of Glycerol in Cough Syrups for Acute Cough Due to Common Cold

Eccles, Ronald; Mallefet, Pascal

doi:10.3390/pharmacy5010004

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(28 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…High concentrations of glucose and other sugars as well as inverted sugar will increase the viscosity of a cough medicine. Glycerol is a common component in cough medicines and it increases both the viscosity and the sweetness of the medicine [39]. The viscosity of cough medicines may be increased by addition of excipients such as carboxymethylcellulose sodium and carbomer, which can also act as coating agents to stick to the oral mucosa and prolong the sensory impact of flavors in the medicine [40].…”

Section: Viscositymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials

Eccles

2019

Lung

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interest in the placebo effect of medicines has developed from the use of placebo treatments as controls in clinical trials into a whole new area of research around how placebos fit into a psychosocial model of therapeutics. The large placebo effect associated with cough medicines is both a problem and an opportunity for researchers: a problem for clinical trials on new actives as the active must beat the large placebo effect, and an opportunity for harnessing the placebo effect to produce effective cough medicines without any pharmacologically active ingredient. This review discusses the mechanisms associated with the placebo effect of cough medicines and distinguishes between a 'perceived placebo effect' and a true 'placebo effect'. The efficacy of sweeteners in cough syrups is discussed as well as viscosity, mucoadhesion, and flavoring. The complexity of modern cough medicines is demonstrated by an example of a medicine which contains one active ingredient, and eighteen excipients which provide a complex and intense sensory experience to enhance the placebo effect and complement the pharmacological activity of the medicine.

show abstract

Section: Viscositymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials

Eccles

2019

Lung

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Glycerol is accepted as an active ingredient in cough syrups but a search of the literature has not found any published research on the effects of glycerol on cough. This lack of evidence was highlighted in a recent review on the role of glycerol in cough medicines which concluded that "There is, at present, no published research on the efficacy of glycerol as a cough treatment and there is a need for randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials to determine the contribution of this common ingredient in cough medicines to the overall benefit of cough medicines" [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Glycerol is popular as an excipient in cough medicines because it serves multiple functions; acting as a sweetening agent (0.6 times the sweetness of sucrose), a solvent, lubricant, antimicrobial, humectant, and preservative. The special properties of glycerol as an ingredient of cough medicines have been recently reviewed and the article concludes that "a simple linctus containing glycerol with flavorings such as honey and lemon is a safe and effective treatment for cough in children and adults" [12]. Glycerol is a small molecule with three carbon atoms and its viscous nature is because each of the carbon atoms has a hydroxyl group attached and these hydroxyl groups can bind to other hydroxyl groups by hydrogen binding with water, which makes glycerol very soluble in water, or by hydrogen binding to other glycerol molecules, which causes aggregation of glycerol molecules and means that glycerol does not flow as well as water and is rather viscous [13].…”

Section: Thickenersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thickeners may also enhance the sensory impact of a cough medicine by prolonging the residence of the medicine in the mouth and therefore prolonging the duration of any sweet taste of the medicine. Some of the thickeners, such as glycerol, also have demulcent and lubricating properties that will help to soothe an inflamed pharynx [12].…”

Section: Role Of Thickeners In Cough Medicinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What is the Role of Over 100 Excipients in Over the Counter (OTC) Cough Medicines?

Eccles

2020

Lung

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most medicines are white bitter powders that are formulated as tablets and capsules but cough medicines are an exception where the taste and appearance of the medicine are more important to the patient than the pharmacology of the active ingredient. Excipients are generally defined as any ingredient in a medicine other than the active ingredient. In most medicines excipients play a supportive role in delivering the medicine, but in the case of cough medicines, excipients have more important and complex roles and they can also be the main active ingredient of the cough medicine as menthol, glycerol, and sugars, which are declared as active ingredients. This review searched the United Kingdom electronic medicines compendium (emc) and found over 100 excipients in 60 different liquid formulations of over the counter cough medicines. The excipients were divided into functional groups: sweeteners, thickeners, flavors, colors, antimicrobials, and buffers, and the incidence and function of the different excipients is discussed. When considering the efficacy of a cough medicine, clinicians and pharmacists tend to think of the pharmacology of antitussives such as dextromethorphan or expectorants such as guaifenesin, and they rarely consider the role of excipients in the efficacy of the medicine. This review discusses the functions and importance of excipients in cough medicines and provides some new information for clinicians, pharmacists, and all interested in the treatment of cough when considering the composition and efficacy of a cough medicine.

show abstract

“…An easily accessible and safe polyol may therefore be considered to improve stability of lactoferrin, ovotransferrin and HEWL following ingestion, and here it is suggested that glycerol may be a particularly suitable supportive solvent for the powdered sources of lactoferrin, ovotransferrin and HEWL. Glycerol is a low cost, readily available, sweet-tasting polyol, with excellent solvent and emulsifying properties, which is safe for ingestion and widely used in pharmaceutical applications (such as cough syrups) [167][168][169]. It is known to effectively stabilize proteins as well as refold denatured proteins [170,171], thereby restoring activities of enzymes that were inactivated by diverse processes [170].…”

Section: Sources Forms and Practical Use Of Lactoferrin Ovotransferrin And Lysozymementioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of lactoferrin, Ovotransferrin and Lysozyme As Antiviral and immune-modulating Agents in COVID-19

Mann

Ndung’u

2020

Future Virol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is spreading rapidly with no established effective treatments. While most cases are mild, others experience uncontrolled inflammatory responses with oxidative stress, dysregulation of iron and coagulation as features. Lactoferrin, ovotransferrin and lysozyme are abundant, safe antimicrobials that have wide antiviral as well as immunomodulatory properties. In particular, lactoferrin restores iron homeostasis and inhibits replication of SARS-CoV, which is closely related to SARS-CoV-2. Ovotransferrin has antiviral peptides and activities that are shared with lactoferrin. Both lactoferrin and lysozyme are ‘immune sensing’ as they may stimulate immune responses or resolve inflammation. Mechanisms by which these antimicrobials may treat or prevent COVID-19, as well as sources and forms of these, are reviewed.

show abstract

Soothing Properties of Glycerol in Cough Syrups for Acute Cough Due to Common Cold

Cited by 22 publications

References 21 publications

The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials

The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials

What is the Role of Over 100 Excipients in Over the Counter (OTC) Cough Medicines?

The Potential of lactoferrin, Ovotransferrin and Lysozyme As Antiviral and immune-modulating Agents in COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About