Simethicone-Cellulose

Combining an antifoaming agent with a dispersant, simethicone-cellulose is formulated to reduce intestinal gas and to improve the view obtained during endoscopy. Simethicone lowers the surface tension of gas bubbles trapped in mucus and intestinal contents so that they coalesce and collapse; the cellulose component disperses that agent evenly along the gastrointestinal tract, where uneven distribution would leave residual foam obscuring the mucosa. The preparation is pharmacologically inert and is not absorbed systemically, so its action is confined to the lumen and no receptor or enzyme target is involved. That inertness is precisely what suits it to a preparatory role before endoscopic examination rather than to treatment of a disease process.