Overview Of Chewing Gum: History, Medical Uses, Composition Etc.

Introduction

Chewing gum is a pleasure that almost all people use it the world wide. These are used as a convenient modified release drug delivery system. Chewing gums usually contain gum core, which is either coated or not coated. Commercially available medicated chewing gums are used for pain relief, smoking cessation, travel illness and freshening of mouth. In recent years, they are considered as friendly oral mucosal drug delivery system. When compared to other routes of administration, oral route is very convenient for patients due to various advantages.

Medicated chewing gums are solid single dose preparations that have to be chewed but not swallowed. They contain one or more active ingredients that are released by chewing. Basis for introducing medicated chewing gums in today’s market is to provide the release of drug substances directly into bloodstream faster than pills.

Medicated chewing gums are intended to be chewed for a certain period of time, required to deliver dose, after which remaining mass is discarded. During chewing process drug contained in a gum is released into saliva, and could be absorbed through oral mucosal or swallowed reaching stomach for GI absorption.

Chewing gums contain water soluble and water insoluble portions. water soluble portions include plasticizers, elastomers, fillers and mineral adjuvants. Water insoluble portion includes sweeteners, antioxidants, softeners, bulking agents and emulsifiers. Chewing gums are now extensively used as drug delivery agents for many components in order to treat oral and throat infections. Particularly, for children this is very convenient method of administration when compared to tablets, liquids. Nowadays, chewing gums must meet the high quality standards as tablets. In particular, anecdotal effect of chewing gum on weight loss must also be studied.

History

Homosapiens use different natural resources for survival like shrub, herb, plant, trees and utilized them in the form of food, wood, medicine, shelter etc. Ancient people know how to use plant parts. For example, before invention of tooth brush they used Azadiractha indica (neem) to clean their teeth and for its antibacterial action. In the same way, chewing gums today are used as they provide antimicrobial actions and prevent dental caries. In the recent trend, researchers for drug loaded chewing gum and smoke session chewing gum. Chewing gum has been used since centuries by mayanIndians chewed tree resin form sapodilla tree to clear their mouth and fresher their teeth. These medicated chewing has been used since world war-II due to shortage of natural gum bases, due to enhanced development of systemic gum bases that are used now a days. Chewing gums has old and long history in 50 AD, Greek sweetened to breathe and clean their teeth by Mastic resin from bark of mastic tree. The first chewing gum was marketed in 1948 in USA i. e. State Of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.

Aspergum is the first chewing gum launched in 1928 for analgesic activity. Dimenhydrinate is another commercially available chewing gum for motion sickness. First patent was issued to Dr. W. F. Semple who was a dentist of OHIO in 1869. In 1999 December new England journal of medicine, reveals that chewing gums increases energy from 58k. cal hour to 70 k. cal per hour.

Definition of medicated chewing gum

Chewing gum is a solid dosing medicinal form with a base consisting mainly of gum, which is intended for chewing. It contains one or more active ingredients that are released during chewing by providing local or systemic action after absorption through buccal mucosa and gastrointestinal tract.

Srtucture and functions of oral mucos

Oral mucosa is consisting of three different types of cells they are:

• Masticatory mucosa
• Lining mucosa
• Specialized mucosa.

Masticatory mucosa withstand abrasion and shearing forces of Masticatory process. Lining mucosa cover no keratinized tissue. mucosa has capable of elastic deformation, stretches to speech. Epithelium of humans varies in thickness according to region. Regional difference in morphology result in different permeability characters these influence on design of drug delivery system. Aging and disease condition result in loss of this balance. This cause thinking (atrophia) thickening ( hypertrophic)of Epithelium. human tissue contain keratinized and non keratinized tissues. Turn over time is slow for keratinized tissue. example: hard palate 24 days than non keratinized tissue and also there is accumulation of liquids fluids lipids cytokeratin’s are less in keratinocytes and glycogen content is also more in keratinocytes.

Chewing gum and saliva

Chewing gum has powerful defense mechanism in body saliva. Saliva is important to oral health and it is protector of oral cavity, chewing gum is increases the saliva without drugs. Increasing saliva in mouth is accomplished by stimulation of flavors ‘and GI actions of chewing. saliva has three protective mechanisms they are: Ca and k ions produce remineralization of dental caries lesions, saliva contain antibacterial agentsDilutes and washes away food particles. Bicarbonate neutralizes and buffers plague acids.

Uses of medicated chewing gum

Chewing gums are used to improve oral health. These are used to reduce symptoms of stressAlso used to improve digestion process. To improve memory functions Also in managing of body weight. In treatment of gingivitis. Used in throat and oral infections. Used in smoking cessation. And also in acidic problems. In treatment of xerostamia. And also in pharyngeal infections. In the inhibition of plague growth also chewing gums are used. Also used in travelilnes and motion sickness.

Advantages of chewing gum

Chewing gums provide the following advantages:

1. Chewing gums have pleasant taste.
2. High availability.
3. GI suffers less from effect of excipients.
4. Fast onset of action.
5. Fewer side effects.
6. High acceptance of children.
7. Excellent for acute medication.
8. Reducing over dosing risk.
9. To help reduce food cravings.
10. Treatment complete at any time.
11. No first pass metabolism.
12. Both systemic and local delivery.
13. Removal of gum at any time.
14. Provides relief from stress.

Composition of chewing gum

Basic raw material for all chewing gum is natural gum chicle which is obtained from Sapodilla tree. Chicle is very expensive so we use synthetic material like polyvinyl acetate gum base. Chewing gum has two parts: water soluble portions, water insoluble portions.

Gum base: chewing gum is insoluble and inert non nutritive product used to soluble of chewing gum. Atypical gum base consisting of formula: sweeteners (30-60%), elastomers (10%), gum bases (20-90%), softeners (5-35%), fillers (4-50%), and flavoring agents (2-5%), preservatives (0. 1%).

Plasticizers: plasticizers incorporated into gum base for variety of desirable consistency and texture properties. Plasticizers such as stearic acid, potassium stearate acetylated mono glyceride, paraffin waxes, oleic acid, vegetable oils.

Elastomers: These are obtained as natural and synthetic rubbers. Gum base contain elastomers solvents to softening gum base component. elastomers are terpene resins such as polymers of glycerol, methyl esters of resins. Synthetic elastomers such as bufadiene, poly ethylene mixtures, nontoxic vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol. Elastomers used amount of 5-75% by weight of gum base.

Adjuvants: Talc, calcium carbonate others are used. Mineral adjuvants are magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum silicate calcium phosphate used as fillers.

Antioxidants: these are used to prevent oxidation reaction such as propyl gallate, butylated hydroxy toluene.

Sweeteners: Sweeteners available as:

• Water soluble sweetening agents
• Water soluble artificial agents
• Protein based sweeteners
• Dipeptide based sweeteners.

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Example are sorbitol, mannitol, aspartate, sucrose and sodium saccharin salts, calcium saccharin salts.

Colouring agents: these are incorporated into gum base as 6% weight of gum base composition. Coloring agents include pigments, titanium DI oxide, food colours and dyes suitable for food drug and cosmetic applications.

Flavouring agents: these are essential oils, synthetic flavors, such as citrus oil, fruit essences, peppermint oil, winter green oil, spearmint oil, anise oil.