Plantago ovata and Ocimum basilicum Mucilages as Natural Superdisintegrants for Enhancing Disintegration, Dissolution and Oral Bioavailability: A Comprehensive Review

Background: Oral disintegrating and dispersible tablet technologies rely heavily on the choice of disintegrant to achieve rapid tablet breakup, fast dissolution, and improved patient compliance. Synthetic superdisintegrants such as croscarmellose sodium, crospovidone, and sodium starch glycolate remain the industry standard, but concerns over cost, allergenicity, and the demand for sustainable, biocompatible excipients have driven sustained research interest in plant-derived mucilages. Method: A narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate to identify peer-reviewed studies (predominantly 2009–2026) reporting the isolation, characterization, and tablet-formulation performance of Plantago ovata (isabgol) and Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) seed/husk mucilages as natural superdisintegrants. Results: Across the reviewed studies, Plantago ovata mucilage consistently produced in vitro disintegration/dispersion times as low as 7-8 seconds at 8-12% w/w in fast-disintegrating and orodispersible formulations, while Ocimum basilicum mucilage and defatted seed powder achieved disintegration within 30-60 seconds at 3-9% w/w, both outperforming or matching several synthetic benchmarks at comparable or lower concentrations. Chemically, P. ovata mucilage is dominated by a highly branched arabinoxylan (arabinose:xylose relationships reported near 1:2 to 1:3), while O. basilicum mucilage is characterized by glucomannan- and xylan-rich acidic polysaccharide fractions with pronounced water-holding capacity. Both act principally through swelling and wicking mechanisms, and combined use of the two mucilages has been reported in factorial-design studies targeting further disintegration-time reduction. Conclusion: Plantago ovata and Ocimum basilicum mucilages represent well-characterized, low-cost, biodegradable alternatives to synthetic superdisintegrants capable of reducing disintegration time to single-digit seconds, with consequent potential to improve the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble (BCS Class II) drugs. Standardization of extraction protocols and pharmacopeial quality specifications remain the principal barriers to wider regulatory and industrial adoption.