Wound dressing dextran

Dextrans are particularly useful and are employed as a plasma substitute. A concentration of about 6% dextran (50,000-100,000 relative molecular weight) has equivalent viscosity and colloid-osmotic properties to blood plasma. Dextran can also be used as non-irritant absorbent wound dressings, an application also suited to alginate gels. 

Transparent hydrogels useful for adhesion inhibitors, tissue adhesives, wound dressings, hemostatics and embolisation materials are obtained from dextran methacrylates via polymerisation with N-isopropylacrylamide in DMSO in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile [176]. A broad variety of new hydrogels with different sensitivities and tunable degradation behaviour is accessible by grafting L-lactide onto 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and binding this polymerisable group on dextran via activation with N,N -carbonyldiimidazole (CDI, Sect. 4.2.2) [177]. 

Temporary replacement skins have also been studied by using velour fabrics (usually a nylon or Dacron) backed by a polymeric film (silicone or protein) (36). synthetic polypeptides (37). collagen (38). and dextran hydrogels (39). These replacement materials are only for short term use and could be classed as wound dressings. Although they do prevent gross infection and body fluid loss, they do not duplicate any of the other functions of the skin. A true artificial skin does not yet exist. 

Unnithan, A.R. Barakat, N.A.M. Pichiah, RB.T. Gnanasekaran, G. Nirmala, R. Cha, Y.S. Jung, C.H. El-Newehy, M. Kim, H.Y. Wound-dressing materials with antibacterial activity from electrospun polyurethane-dextran nanofiber mats containing ciprofloxacin HCl. Carbohydr. Polym. 2012, 90 (4), 1786-1793. 

In fact, various NO-donating compounds have been incorporated or immobilized in biocompatible pol mier matrices and such materials have been used as patches, wound dressings, coatings on blood-contacting medical devices, and time-release NO drugs. Biopol5miers such as chitosan and dextran have been used as matrices of controlled release of NO. 

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