AN OVERVIEW ON OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS) MUCILAGE AS A BINDER FOR GASTRO RETENTIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM(GRDDS)

Oral drug delivery is the most commonly used route due to its safety and patient convenience. However, many drugs show reduced bioavailability because of rapid gastric emptying. Gastroretentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) are designed to remain in the stomach for a longer time and improve drug absorption. This review focuses mainly on floating drug delivery systems and the use of natural polymers in (GRDDS). Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) mucilage is a natural polysaccharide with good swelling and binding properties. It is extracted from okra pods and shows suitable physicochemical characteristics for pharmaceutical use. Okra mucilage acts as an effective binder and matrix-forming agent in gastroretentive formulations. Being natural, biodegradable, and economical, it offers advantages over synthetic polymers. This review concludes that okra mucilage has good potential use in (GRDDS) formulations.