dextran

[ dek-struhn ]

nounChemistry, Pharmacology.
  1. a viscous polysaccharide, composed of dextrose, produced by bacterial action on sucrose: used in confections and lacquers and in medicine chiefly as an extender for blood plasma.

Origin of dextran

1
First recorded in 1875–80; dextr(ose) + an(hydride)

Words Nearby dextran

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How to use dextran in a sentence

  • Lichenin, para dextran, and para isodextran are dextrosans which have been isolated from various lower plants.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for dextran

dextran

/ (ˈdɛkstrən) /


noun
  1. biochem a polysaccharide produced by the action of bacteria on sucrose: used as a substitute for plasma in blood transfusions

Origin of dextran

1
C19: from dextro- + -an

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