Alkyl Polyglucosides: From Natural-origin Surfactants to Prospective Delivery Systems

The on-going 'green' trend in the personal care industry coupled with global environmental concerns, place natural-origin, biodegradable and skin-friendly surfactants such as alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) in high demand. After successful use in cosmetics, sufficient data has been obtained to welcome some sugar emulsifiers into the field of drug dosage. Alkyl Polyglucosides presents a comprehensive compendium which guides a researcher from the APG-related preformulation stages to formulation processing, including the investigation of various APG-stabilized systems skin performance. This book introduces various APG representatives, their benefits in relation to certain conventional surfactants, physicochemical and interfacial properties, possible interaction with commonly used ingredients and diverse characterization techniques indispensable for the assessment of colloidal systems. The first chapter introduces alkyl polyglucosides, followed by chapters on their properties, behaviour, an overview of the patent protection mechanisms and guidelines for submitting patent applications. Finally, a conclusion surveys international patent applications involving APGs.- Introduces the field of alkyl polyglucoside emulsifiers, listing all the contemporary and newly synthesized APG emulsifiers- Provides detailed information on various aspects of APG-based structures- Reveals potential of APG-stabilized vehicles as prospective delivery systems using several model drugs and cosmetic actives- Includes an up-to-date review of research conducted in the field of APGs, facilitating future preformulation and formulation studies for researchers- Offers a concise and practical compendium of characterization techniques