| abstract |
The present invention relates to the use of surface active hydrophobins as an excipient for use in pharmaceutical technology, specifically for herbal use. The present invention provides a method of mixing hydrophobins in a herbal composition or treating the surface of a pharmaceutical formulation with a hydrophobin-containing solution to modify the pharmaceutical properties of the herbal form. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, hydrophobins are used to increase the disintegration resistance of the herbal form or to act as a surfactant to improve the properties of the pharmaceutical composition, for example to obtain delayed drug release. The herbal forms modified with surface active proteins as excipients are capsules, tablets, pills, particulates, vesicles, and suppositories, but additional herbal forms are also contemplated. Surface active proteins used for the purposes of the present invention can be isolated from individual natural sources or prepared through recombinant techniques and expression in a suitable host. |