- dextran
- 1. Any of several water-soluble high molecular weight glucose polymers (average MW 75,000; ranging between 1,000 and 40,000,000) produced by the action of members of the family Lactobacillaceae and certain other microorganisms on sucrose; used in isotonic sodium chloride solution for the treatment of shock, and in distilled water for the relief of the edema of nephrosis; lower molecular weight d. ( e.g., MW 40,000) improves blood flow in areas of stasis by reducing cellular aggregation. 2. Poly(α-1,6-glucose); α-1,6-glucan with branch points (1,2; 1,3; 1,4) and spacing of these characteristic of the species; used as plasma substitutes or expanders. See dextransucrase.- d. 110 d. (average MW 110,000) available as 5% solution in water or saline solution; used as a plasma volume expander.- blue d. high molecular weight d. containing a blue chlorotriazine dye, Cibacron Blue; used to measure the void volumes in gel filtration columns, as well as checking column packing.- d. sulfate the sodium salt of sulfuric acid esters of the polysaccharide d.; it contains not less than 10 units per mg and not less than 14% of sulfate; an anticoagulant.
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dex·tran 'dek-.stran, -strən n any of numerous biopolymers (C6H10O5)n of variable molecular weight that are produced esp. by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria of the genus Leuconostoc (as L. mesenteroides), are found in dental plaque, and are used esp. after suitable chemical modification as blood plasma substitutes, as packing materials in chromatography, and as pharmaceutical agents compare LEVAN* * *
n.a carbohydrate, consisting of branched chains of glucose units, that is a storage product of bacteria and yeasts. Preparations of dextran solution are used in transfusions, to increase the volume of plasma.* * *
dex·tran (dekґstrən) a high-molecular-weight polymer of D-glucose, produced by enzymes (glycosyltransferases) on the cell surface of certain lactic acid bacteria. Dextrans, formed from sucrose by bacteria in the mouth, adhere to the tooth surfaces and produce dental plaque, a major cause of dental caries. Uniform molecular weight dextrans from Leuconostoc mesenteroides preparations are used as plasma volume expanders. Specific preparations are designated, according to their average molecular weight in thousands, as dextran 40 [USP], dextran 70 [USP], and so on. Commercial preparations in bead form are also used in gel-filtration chromatography.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
