First Known Use: 1879
Dictionary
dextran
noun dex·tran \ˈdek-stran, -strən\
Definition of DEXTRAN
: any of numerous glucose biopolymers of variable molecular weight that are produced especially by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria (as genus Leuconostoc), are found in dental plaque, and are used especially in blood plasma substitutes
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Origin of DEXTRAN
International Scientific Vocabulary
Medical Dictionary
dextran
noun dex·tran \ˈdek-ˌstran, -strən\
Medical Definition of DEXTRAN
: any of numerous biopolymers (C6H10O5)n of variable molecular weight that are produced especially by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria of the genus Leuconostoc (as L. mesenteroides), are found in dental plaque, and are used especially after suitable chemical modification as blood plasma substitutes, as packing materials in chromatography, and as pharmaceutical agents—compare levan
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