dextran

American

[dek-struhn] / ˈdɛk strən /

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

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.

dextran British

/ ˈdɛkstrən /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dextran

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The second component of the gel is oxidized dextran, a polysaccharide that can form strong but reversible bonds with the amine groups of the pluronic micelles.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

Different effects of three selected Lactobacillus strains in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in BALB/c mice.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

Molecular biologist Manuel Raices helped develop a recombinant enzyme that dissolves dextran, a sticky substance that gums up the sugar-refining process.

From Time Magazine Archive

He thinks dextran will eventually have wide use in civilian first-aid kits.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023