María Paz Villegas Calero, Alejandro Esquivel Álvarez, Elías Quesada Morales, María Fernanda Rojas Salas, Marianela Chavarría-Rojas, German Madrigal Redondo*
Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacéuticas (INIFAR), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, COSTA RICA.
DOI: 10.5530/pc.2022.1.3
ABSTRACT
Introduction: This bibliographic review gathers information regarding mucilages, their characteristics, extraction methods for various plant species, and their uses at a pharmaceutical level and for other industries. Methods: This bibliographic review compiles documents printed before December 2020, were searched using Elsevier and Google Scholar databases. Studies that examined mucilages that were not derived from plants were excluded from this review. Results: Mucilages have properties that allow them to be used as excipients in pharmaceutical preparations. They also have pharmacological activities, and have applications in the cosmetics and food industries. Conclusion: The use of mucilages provides numerous benefits, particularly to the pharmaceutical industry.
Key words: Cosmetics, Extraction, Food industry, Mucilages, Pharmacy.