USE OF CARRAGEENAN IN PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Oya SIPAHIGIL*°, Betül DORTUNÇ*

*Marmara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, 81010 Haydarpasa, Istanbul, TURKEY.
°Corresponding Author

Summary:
Carrageenan is a natural polymer obtained from various seaweeds and is being used in pharmaceutical formulation studies increasingly. There are three types of carageenan iota, kappa and lambda. Other probable types of carrageenan are mu, nu, xi and theta.
In this paper, the physical, chemical and pharmacological properties of carrageenan are given. There is also information about its application in different areas, especially in pharmaceutical technology.

Key words:
Carrageenan, Natural polymer, Hydrogel.