Polysaccharides in medicinal and pharmaceutical applications

Abstract

In line with the current focus on a sustainable economy, polysaccharides have received a special attention due to the diversity of their resources, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility; they are also renewable sources being capable of chemical modifications. In this order, the book provides a comprehensive overview of researches regarding the use of polysaccharides in the medicinal and pharmaceutical field. The first chapter, Configurations, Structures and Morphologies of Cellulose presents an overview regarding the structure, morphology, sources and physicochemical properties of cellulose. A particular importance is given to micro- and nanostructured cellulose materials, due to their applicability as additives for pharmaceutical formulations, as biocompatible hydrogels or as scaffold materials in tissue engineering. In Chapter 2, Hemicelluloses in Pharmacy and Medicine, a structuring of the sources and the chemical structure of hemicelluloses together with the most interesting applications are presented. The most important properties of hemicelluloses including the controllable biological activity, biodegradability and their ability to form hydrogels are also included in this chapter. The current applications concerning the fungal exopolysaccharides are summarised in Chapter 3, Fungal Exopolysaccharides. Their unique properties of some bioactive fungal exopolysaccharides as immunomodulators, antitumor agents, and effective agents in the treatment of microbial infections and in lowering blood pressure or cholesterol in humans are presented in this chapter. These properties are correlated with their structure, and they depend on the microorganisms which synthesised them and the conditions of production. The heteropolysaccharides, which are complex compounds made up from different sugar monomers, ...