CARBOHYDRATES CONTAINING DRUGS ACACIA TRAGACANTHA GUMS ITS VERY USE FULL FOR THE II.PHARM D AND II.B.PHARM STUDENTS

1. CARBOHYDRATE CONTAINING DRUGS
ACACIA GUM

2. Synonyms
• Gum acacia
• Gum arabic
• Acacia

3. Source and Family
• Biological source: Indian gum is the dried gummy exudation
obtained from the stem and branches of Acacia Arabica.
• Family :Leguminoseae.

4. DESCRIPTION
• Gum arabic is a complex mixture of glycoproteins and
polysaccharides.
• It is the original source of the sugars arabinose and ribose,.

5. Macroscopy
• Colour: Tears are usually white, pale-yellow and sometimes
creamish-brown to red in colour.
• The power has an off-white, pale-yellow or light-brown in
appearance.

6. Macroscopy
• Odour: Odourless (There is a close relationship between
colour and flavour due to the presence of tannins).
• Taste: Bland and mucillagenous.

7. Macroscopy
• Shape & Size: Tears are mostly spheroidal or ovoid in shape
and having a diameter of about 2.5-3.0 cm.

8. Appearance
• Tears are invariably opaque either due to the presence of
cracks or fissures produced on the outer surface during the
process or ripening. The fracture is usually very brittle in
nature and the exposed surface appears to be glossy.

9. Collection
• The gum is produced as a result of injury to the plant. After the rainy
season, bark is tapped and transverse cuts are given to stem and
branches to expose cambium and newly formed phloem.
• Within 20-30 days, the tears are collected and made free from bark
pieces and organic matter. It is collected and dried in sun.
• Note: acacia is almost soluble in water and it is viscous and acidic.
Gum arabica is most soluble of the gums. Acacia is insoluble in
alcohol and other org. solvents.

10. Chemical Constituents
• Major c.c is arabin which is mixture of calcium, magnesium,
potassium salts of arabic acid.
• Acacia was originally thought to be composed only of four
chemical constituents, namely : (–) arabinose; (+) – galactose;
(–)–rhamnose and (+) glucuronic acid.
• On subjecting the gum acacia to hydrolysis with 0.01 N H2SO4
helps in removing the combined product of (–) – arabinose
and (+) – galactose, whereas the residue consists of the
product (+) – galactose and (+) – glucuronic acid. These two
products are formed in the ratio of 3:1.

11. Chemical Tests
• 1. Lead Acetate Test: An aqueous solution of acacia when
treated with lead-acetate solution it yields a heavy white
precipitate.
• 2. Borax Test: An aqueous solution of acacia affords a stiff
translucent mass on treatment with borax.
• 3. Blue Colouration due to Enzyme: When the aqueous
solution of acacia is treated with benzidine in alcohol together
with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), it gives rise to
a distinct–blue colour indicating the presence of enzyme.
• 4. Reducing Sugars Test: Hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of
acacia with dilute HCl yields reducing sugars whose presence
are ascertained by boiling with Fehling’s solution to give a
brick-red precipitate of cuprous oxide.

12. Uses
1. The mucilage of acacia is employed as a demulcent.
2. It is used extensively as a vital pharmaceutical aid for
emulsification and to serve as a thickening agent.
3. It finds its enormous application as a binding agent for
tablets e.g., cough lozenges.
4. It is used in the process of ‘granulation’ for the manufacture
of tablets. It is considered to be the gum of choice by virtue
of the fact that it is quite compatible with other plant
hydrocolloids as well as starches, carbohydrates and
proteins.

13. Uses
5.It is used in conjuction with gelatin to form conservates for
microencapsulation of drugs.
6. It is employed as colloidal stabilizer.
7. It is used extensively in making of candy and other food
products

14. Pharmaceuticals Uses
• It is used as a stabiliser for emulsions,
• a binder and coating for tablets.
• As an ingredient in cough drops and syrup
• Gum arabic is used in cosmetics as an adhesive for face masks
and powders.
• and to give a smooth feel to lotions.

15. Tragacanth
• Synonyms : • Gum tragacanth, tragacanth
• Biological source : • It is the dried gummy exudation obtained
by incision from stem and branches of Astragalus gummifer L.,
Astragalus membranaceus, and other species of Astragalus,
• Family Leguminosae.
• Geographical source : • It is obtained from Iran, Greexe,
Turkey, Iraq, Syria, In India, Garhwal, Kumaon and Punjab this
species is found.

16. Description
• Colour : white or pale yellowish
• Odour : Odourless
• Taste : Mucilaginous Shape : Thin, flattened ribbon like flakes,
more or less curved.
• Size. : 25×12×2 mm in size.
• The gum is horny,translucent,with transverse and longitudinal
ridges. Fractures of drug is short.
• It is partly soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol.

17. Cultivation and Collection
• The shrubs of tragacanth are grown altitude of 1000 – 3000 m
and they are thorny.
• The gum is exuding out immediately after injury to plants.
• Tragacanth gum is formed as a result of transformation of the
cell of pith and medullary rays into gummy substance.
• Incisions are made on various parts of stem.
• The fluid which oozes out, is called tragacanth and it is
collected after drying.
• The gum is in irregular flattened flakes with ribbon like
appearance.
• It is collected fromApril to November every year. Standards : 1.
Foreign organic matter : Not more than 1.0% 2. SulphatesAsh :
Not more than 4.0% 3. Moisture content : Not more than
15.0%

18. Chemical constituents
• It contains two fractions :
• 1. Tragacanthin 8 – 10% and is water soluble.
• 2. Bassorin 60 – 70% and is insoluble in water. Tragacanth
contains 15% of methoxy group,it swells in water and is
responsible for high viscosity.
• 1% solution of tragacanth has 250 centipoises viscosity.
• The products of hydrolysis of tragacanth are galactouronic
acid, D- galactopyranose,L-arabino-rhamnose,and D-
xylopyranose.

19. Uses
• It is used as a demulcent,emollient, thickening, suspending,
emulsifying agent.
• Mucilage of tragacanth is used a binding agent in tables and
excipient in the pills.
• Powder of tragacanth is used as an adhesive,in lotions for
external use,in spermicidal jellies, stabilizer in ice-crem sances.
Substitutes and Adulterations :
• Tragacanth gum of lower grades is used in textile industries
and in the pickles.. Citral gum & Shirij gum are the substitutes