Applications of Dextrans
The following examples give a brief presentation of technical and pharmaceutical applications of Dextrans.
Clinical Grade Dextrans
Clinical grade Dextrans are available as Dextran 1, Dextran 40, Dextran 60 and Dextran 70.
Solutions of Dextran 40, Dextran 60 and Dextran 70 for injection are commonly used in clinical practice for:
- Replacement of blood loss
- Plasma substitution
- Thrombosis prophylaxis
- Volume expansion
- Rheological improvement
Administration of Dextran 1 prior to injection of Dextran 40, Dextran 60 and Dextran 70 is known to reduce the incidences of undesired adverse reactions significantly. Clinical grade Dextran is thus possibly the safest plasma substitute in clinical use.
Dextran T Products
Dextrans are easily soluble, biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers comprised by glucose units. Due to these characteristics, high purity Dextrans T products with average molecular weights ranging from 1 000 Daltons to 2 000 000 Daltons (i.e. from Dextran T1 to Dextran T2000) serve as important starting and intermediate reagents in a broad range of syntheses in biotechnological and technical industries.
Dextrans in Photographic Industry
Highly purified Dextran T fractions are widely used in the photographic industry, where the Dextran biopolymers have been shown to improve the quality of silver emulsions of photographs.
Iron Dextran
Dextran is an important starting material for Iron Dextran synthesis. Iron Dextran solution for injection is applied for treatment of human and veterinary anemic iron deficiency. Pharmacosmos is cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) approved by the Danish Medicines Agency (DKMA) as well as accepted by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for manufacturing of Iron Dextran powder as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and Iron Dextran solution for injection as bulk and finished drug products.
DEAE Dextrans
DEAE Dextrans (diethylaminoethyl Dextrans) are obtained from synthesis of diethylaminoethyl chloride with Dextrans. The DEAE Dextran polycations prepared from Dextran 500 fractions have been shown to reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides. Emphasis on both quality and purity of Dextrans used for synthesis of derivates of Dextrans are critical for end-product quality and reproducibility.
Dextran Sulfate
Dextran Sulfate (Dextran Hydrogen Sulfate, sodium salt) is a polyanionic Dextran derivative, which may be synthesized from various high purity and well-characterized Dextran fractions. In clinical research anticoagulant Dextran Sulfate properties have been tested as a possible substitute for heparin in anticoagulant therapy. Another source of interest relates to the effect of Dextran Sulfate on enzyme inhibition in certain biological systems.