dextran
[dek-struh n]
- 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.
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Origin of dextran
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
dextran
- biochem a polysaccharide produced by the action of bacteria on sucrose: used as a substitute for plasma in blood transfusions
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Word Origin
C19: from dextro- + -an
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
dextran
(dĕk′străn′, -strən)- Any of a group of long-chain polymers of glucose with various molecular weights that are used in isotonic sodium chloride solution for the treatment of shock, in distilled water for the relief of the edema of nephrosis, and as plasma volume expanders.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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