dextran

n. polysaccharide compound (used in confections, lacquers and medicine)

Dextran is a complex, branched polysaccharide made of many glucose molecules joined into chains of varying lengths, used as an antithrombotic (anti-platelet), and to reduce blood viscosity. The straight chain consists of α1->6 glycosidic linkages between glucose molecules, while branches begin from α1->3 linkages (and in some cases, α1->2 and α1->4 linkages as well). (For information on the numbering of carbon atoms in glucose, see the glucose article.) Dextran is synthesized from sucrose by certain lactic-acid bacteria, the best-known being Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Streptococcus mutans. Dental plaque is rich in dextrans.
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Dextran /dex·tran/ a high-molecular-weight polymer of d-glucose, produced by enzymes on the cell surface of certain lactic acid bacteria. [more]Dextran - Community and Resources

n. dextran, polysaccharide compound

a linear polysaccharide of bacterial origin, made of many glucose molecules joined into a long chain.