GB2029216A

GB2029216A - Compositions containing xanthan gum

Info

Publication number: GB2029216A
Application number: GB7922348A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Catalent UK Swindon Encaps Ltd
Current assignee: Catalent UK Swindon Encaps Ltd
Priority date: 1978-06-27
Filing date: 1979-06-27
Publication date: 1980-03-19
Also published as: AU526184B2; GB2029216B; AU4841679A

Abstract

An appetite suppressant composition comprises xanthan gum in association with an orally acceptable carrier or diluent. The composition is suitably in dosage unit form such as tablet form, wafer or biscuit form, or, especially, in the form of a solution or dispersion of xanthan gum contained in a gelatine capsule.

Description

SPECIFICATION Appetite suppressant compositions This invention relates to materials which are adapted to suppress the appetite. Various chemical appetite suppressants are already known. One form of appetite suppressant is methyl cellulose or derivatives thereof which acts by increasing the viscosity of the gastric juices and thereby delays gastric transfer.

There has now been found, in accordance with the present invention, a material which has not previously been used or suggested for appetite suppressant compositions and which is active in far smaller quantities than methyl cellulose or its derivatives.

The present invention therefore provides appetite suppressant compositions and a method of appetite suppression.

In accordance with the invention the active material used in the composition and method is Xanthan Gum. Xanthan Gum is described in the United States National Formulary XIV as "a high molecular weight polysaccharide gum produced by a pureculture fermentation of a carbohydrate with Xanthomonas campestris then purified by recovery with isopropyl alcohol, dired and milled. It contains D-glucose and D-mannose as the dominant hexose units, along with D-glucuronic acid, and is prepared as the sodium, potassium or calcium salt. It yields not less than 4.2 percent and not more than 5.0 percent of carbon dioxide, calculated on the dried basis, corresponding to not less than 91.0 percent and not more than 108.0 percent of Xanthan Gum.

It has been found that Xanthan Gum at low concentrations in gastric juices substantially increases the viscosity of such juices. Xanthan Gum has already been approved for food use as it has been found to have extremely lowtoxity. It has been found further to have extremely lowtoxicity. It has been found further that less than 100 mg per day when administered orally to human subjects is not effective as an appetite suppressant. There has not established any maximum quantity in which the material may be used as an appetite suppressant but the preferred daily dosage for use in accordance with the invention ranges from 500 mg to 3 grams.

Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides an appetite suppressant composition comprising an orally acceptable xanthan gum in association with an orally acceptable carrier or diluent.

Xanthan gum may be used therapeutically to suppress the appetite of human beings, for example in the treatment of obesity and thus the invention also provides an orally acceptable therapeutic composition for suppressing the appetite of human beings comprising xanthan gum.

Xanthan gum may also be employed to suppress appetite in non-therapeutic applications, for example where a subject wishes to suppress weight for reasons other than purely medical reasons and thus the invention also provides a non-therapeutic method of suppressing the appetite of a human subject which comprises administering to the subject at least 100 mg of xanthan gum per day.

The Xanthan Gum may be formulated in accordance with the invention in any form suitable for oral administration. Such forms include tablets which may be chewed or swallowed with water or granules which may be mixed with water then swallowed.

The active material may alternatively be formulated into wafers or biscuits. The preferred form of formulation is that of capsules, preferably gelatine capsules, which dissolve in the gastric juices and to which other materials in addition to the active Xanthan Gum may be added as a vehicle and/for dietary or other reasons, for example vitamins.

It is convenient to formulate the xanthan gum in dosage unit form (i.e. in the form of orally acceptable units each containing a specified amount of xanthan gum) such as the tablets, wafers or biscuits, or capsules referred to above. In this latter case the xanthan gum will generally be provided as a solution or suspension thereof in a carrier or vehicle such as a vegetable oil, optionally with one or more suspending or emulsifying agents. Such dosage units may suitably contain from 100 to 3,000 mg of xanthan gum, preferable from 500 to 3,000 mg of xanthan gum.

A dosage form containing 500 mg of Xanthan Gum is preferred for convenient dosage and administration. For example, administration of one 500 mg capsule provides the preferred minimum dosage while administration of two such capsules before each meal provides the preferred maximum daily dosage.

The following description indicates a preferred formulation and its method of preparation. It is to be understood that this description is given by way of example only and is not to be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention.

The indicated quantities of the foilowing ingredients were used to form a batch of material from which at least 20,000 capsules each containing 500 mg of Xanthan Gum was prepared. The formulation is designed to provide a composition which not only acts as an appetite suppressant but also as a vitamin supplement and used natural ingreidents only.

Ingredients Amount (g) Safflower Oil 4,430.00 Wax mixture 600.00 Lecithin 300.00 Labrafil M 4,196.40 Cetomacrogol 1000 101.20 Vitamin A Palmitate 1 miu/g 88.00 Calciferol Solution 2 miu/g 6.00 dl Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate 600.00 Thiamine Mononitrate 50.00 Riboflavine 26.40 Pyridoxine HCI 22.00 Niacinamide 220.00 Ascorbic Acid 750.00 Xanthan Gum * 10,000.00 Chlorophyll C.C. 10.00 * The Xanthan gum used was that sold under the trade mark KELTROL manufactured by Kelco Company of San Diego, California, United States of America.

The safflower oil vehicle, wax mixture thickening agent and the lecithin and cetomacrogol 1000 emulsifiers were mixed and warmed to 60"C. The warmed mixture was stirred until an homogenous solution was obtained, the labrifil M emulsifier was added with stirring and the mixture cooled to 30"C. The balance of the ingredients was added in the order given in the above tabie, the mixture being stirred during the addition of the balance of the ingredients and until uniform. The uniform mixture was then dearated and a sample taken for testing purposes. The mixture was then restirred avoiding aeration and encapsulated in gelatin capsules containing 500 mg of Xanthan Gum per capsule.

Claims

1. An appetite suppressant composition comprising an orally acceptable xanthan gum in associated with an orally acceptable carrier or diluent.

2. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 1 in the form of granules.

3. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 1 in dosage unit form.

4. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 3 containing from 100 mg to 3 mg of xanthan gum.

5. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 4 containing from 500 mg to 3 g of xanthan gum.

6. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 4 containing about 500 mg of xanthan gum.

7. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in any one of claims 3-6 in tablet form.

8. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in any one of claims 3-6 in the form of a wafer or biscuit.

9. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in any one of claims 3-6 comprising a solution or suspension of xanthan gum contained in a gelatine capsule.

10. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in any one of claims 3-9 also containing one Dr more vitamins as dietary supplements.

11. An appetite suppressant composition as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Examples.

12. A non-therapeutic method of suppressing the appetite of a human subject which comprises administering to the subject at least 100 mg of - xanthan gum per day.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 in which the xanthan gum is administered to the subject in an amount of from 100 mg to 3 g per day.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 in which the xanthan gum is administered to the subject in an amount of from 500 mg to 3 g per day.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 12-14 in which the xanthan gum is administered to the subject in the form of an appetite suppressant composition as claimed in any one of claims 1-11.

16. An orally acceptable therapeutic composition for suppressing the appetite of human beings comprising xanthan gum.

17. Acomposition as claimed in claim 16 having the features as defined in any one of claims 1-11.