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The Primary Role of Beeswax in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Thickener and Hardening Agent
Application: Primarily used in ointments and creams.
Principle: Possessing a high melting point and hardness, beeswax added to oily or emulsified bases significantly increases their viscosity, transforming them from liquid or semi-solid to firmer solid or semi-solid states. This renders ointments easier to apply and less prone to leakage.
Oil-in-Water Emulsifier
Application: Used in preparing oil-in-water emulsions.
Principle: Free fatty acids and higher alcohols present in beeswax facilitate stable mixing of oil and water phases, forming an ‘oil-in-water’ emulsion. Within this emulsion, minute water droplets are encapsulated by the oil phase. This matrix effectively locks in moisture, making it suitable for ointments with moisturising and protective properties that resist washing off.
Scaffold Material for Sustained-Release Formulations
Application: In certain sustained-release tablets or implantable formulations.
Principle: Beeswax is insoluble in water but can be slowly eroded by bodily fluids. When drugs are mixed with beeswax to form solid dosage forms, the active ingredients must pass through the wax's pores or be released as the wax gradually dissolves/degrades. This achieves the objective of slow, sustained drug release.
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