2017a), etc. Important plant starches used as pharmaceutical excipients are rice
starch, potato starch, maize starch, jackfruit seed starch, sago starch, etc. (Nayak
and Hasnain 2019i; Nayak and Pal 2017a). The current chapter presents a brief
review on the pharmaceutical applications of various plant polysaccharides.
3.2 Classifications and Sources of Plant Polysaccharides
Plant polysaccharides possess a wider ranging of structurally diversified
biomacromolecules with different useful physicochemical properties (Nayak et al.
2015). These useful biomacromolecules are occurred abundantly in the plantresources in forms of gums, mucilages and starches (Avachat et al. 2011; Prajapati
et al. 2013).
3.2.1 Plant Gums
Plant gums are commonly known as useful class of polysaccharides comprising
multiple numbers of sugar units, which are linked together (Nayak and Pal 2016).
Upon the hydrolysis process, these yield different sugar units, such as glucose,
galactose, arabinose, xylose, mannose or uronic acids, etc., which are occurred in
the respective plant gums (Prajapati et al. 2013; Nayak and Pal 2016; Pal and Nayak
2017). This type of plant polysaccharides are commonly occurred in various parts
of higher plants, such as leaves, pods, fruits, seeds, cereals, stems, roots, rhizomes,
corms, exudates, etc., on account of their own defense mechanisms following
natural injury or harvesting via the break-down of cell walls (Prajapati et al. 2013).
This gum generation process in plants is commonly known as gummosis (Rana
et al. 2011). Plant gums are mainly pathologically generated products containing
complex substances, commonly known as polyuronides. These gums are also
capable of producing 3-dimensional gel networks like other gums derived from
animal as well as microbiological resources (Rana et al. 2011).
The sources of some important plant gums, which have already been studied for
pharmaceutical applications, are listed in Table 3.1.
3.2.2 Plant Mucilages
Mucilages originate in the plants either as a part of contents of the cell or as a part of
the wall thereof (Malviya et al. 2011). These serve as food reserve and membrane
thickener and aid in water storage and seed germination (Pal and Nayak 2017).
Chemically, the molecular structural feature of mucilages possess complex structure
of polysaccharides containing uronic acid and sugar residues. Principally, plant
3 Plant Polysaccharides in Pharmaceutical Applications
95
starch, potato starch, maize starch, jackfruit seed starch, sago starch, etc. (Nayak
and Hasnain 2019i; Nayak and Pal 2017a). The current chapter presents a brief
review on the pharmaceutical applications of various plant polysaccharides.
3.2 Classifications and Sources of Plant Polysaccharides
Plant polysaccharides possess a wider ranging of structurally diversified
biomacromolecules with different useful physicochemical properties (Nayak et al.
2015). These useful biomacromolecules are occurred abundantly in the plantresources in forms of gums, mucilages and starches (Avachat et al. 2011; Prajapati
et al. 2013).
3.2.1 Plant Gums
Plant gums are commonly known as useful class of polysaccharides comprising
multiple numbers of sugar units, which are linked together (Nayak and Pal 2016).
Upon the hydrolysis process, these yield different sugar units, such as glucose,
galactose, arabinose, xylose, mannose or uronic acids, etc., which are occurred in
the respective plant gums (Prajapati et al. 2013; Nayak and Pal 2016; Pal and Nayak
2017). This type of plant polysaccharides are commonly occurred in various parts
of higher plants, such as leaves, pods, fruits, seeds, cereals, stems, roots, rhizomes,
corms, exudates, etc., on account of their own defense mechanisms following
natural injury or harvesting via the break-down of cell walls (Prajapati et al. 2013).
This gum generation process in plants is commonly known as gummosis (Rana
et al. 2011). Plant gums are mainly pathologically generated products containing
complex substances, commonly known as polyuronides. These gums are also
capable of producing 3-dimensional gel networks like other gums derived from
animal as well as microbiological resources (Rana et al. 2011).
The sources of some important plant gums, which have already been studied for
pharmaceutical applications, are listed in Table 3.1.
3.2.2 Plant Mucilages
Mucilages originate in the plants either as a part of contents of the cell or as a part of
the wall thereof (Malviya et al. 2011). These serve as food reserve and membrane
thickener and aid in water storage and seed germination (Pal and Nayak 2017).
Chemically, the molecular structural feature of mucilages possess complex structure
of polysaccharides containing uronic acid and sugar residues. Principally, plant
3 Plant Polysaccharides in Pharmaceutical Applications
95