Polysaccharides

Gum karaya is exuded from Sterculia urens, a bushy tree found in dry regions of North India. Due to its extensive swelling capacity in water it is used as a laxative and as a denture adhesive. The structure consists of D-galactose, D-glucuronic acid and L-rhamnose but the detailed molecular structure is still incompletely known.

Complex glucan (a 1-6) from Leuconostoc spp.; extender in blood transfusions

Sodium carboxymethyl dextran (CM-dextran) is a white, odourless and tasteless powder, which is freely soluble in water or electrolyte solutions. The product has a pronounced polyanionic character, due to the high degree of carboxyl substitution.  Applications that have been described for CM-dextran include carriers of paramagnetic contrast agents, preparation of conjugates of pharmacologically active compounds and CM-dextrans in biosensors.  A number of other uses in cosmetics, agriculture, foods, paints and textiles have been the subject of patent applications.

Dextran is α-(1,6)-linked α-D-glucan with α-(1,3)-linked glucose branch points produced by fermentation of Leuconostoc mesenteroides via the action of the enzyme dextransucrase on sucrose.  The main use for native dextran is as an extender in blood transfusions and products having a range of sharp cut-off molecular weights are produced commercially for this and other applications. A complex of iron with dextran, known as iron dextran, is used as a source of iron for baby piglets which are often anaemic at birth.

Danaparoid sodium (the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Orgaran; Merck Sharp and Dohme) is a biopolymeric non-heparin drug that is used as anticoagulant and antithrombotic agent, approved for the prophylaxis of postoperative deep-vein thrombosis.  It consists of a mixture of three glycosaminoglycans: heparan sulphate, dermatan sulphate, and chondroitin sulphate.  Danaparoid, has well established antithrombotic activity. The drug has a high antifactor Xa to antifactor IIa (thrombin) activity ratio, a low tendency to cause bleeding and minimal effects on the fibrinolytic system.

Fluorescein isothiocyanate carboxymethyl dextran (FITC-CM Dextran) has been reported to provide a valuable carrier for nanoparticles of iron oxide.  These products provide a potent tool for contrast enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging.

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC or hypromellose) is a semisynthetic, inert and viscoelastic polymer that is used as eye drops and as semi-synthetic substitute for tear-films. When applied, a hypromellose solution acts to swell and absorb water, by increasing the thickness of the tear-film, resulting in decreased eye irritation.  In addition to its use in ophthalmic liquids, hypromellose has been used as an excipient in oral tablet and capsule formulations, where, depending on the grade, it functions as controlled-release agent. It is also used as a binder and as a component of tablet coatings.  Hypromellose in aqueous solution, unlike methylcellulose, exhibits thermal gelation properties. HPMC is approved as a food additive, emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and as an alternative to animal gelatin (Codex Alimentarius code (E number) is E464).

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The sugar component consists of alternating residues of β-(1,4) linked N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid. A peptide chain of three to five amino acids is attached to the N-acetylmuramic acid. The peptide chain can be cross-linked to the peptide chain of another strand forming the 3D mesh-like layer.

Dextran sulphate is a dextran derivative whose ulcer (colitis) -causing properties were first reported in hamsters and extrapolated a few years later to mice and rats. The exact mechanisms through which dextran sulphate induces intestinal inflammation are unclear but may be the result of direct damage of the monolayer of epithelial cells in the colon, leading to the crossing of intestinal contents (for e.g. commensal bacteria and their products) into underlying tissue and therefore induction of inflammation.  The dextran sulphate sodium induced ulceration model in laboratory animals has some advantages, when compared to other animal models of colitis, due to its simplicity and similarities to human inflammatory bowel disease.