Fluorescence Polymers

Dextrans are hydrophilic water soluble polysaccharides that have been used in a wide variety of biomedical applications. Characteristics of dextran are moderate to high molecular weight, good water solubility and low toxicity. Dextrans are biologically inert due to their uncommon poly-(α-D-1,6-glucose) linkages, which render them resistant to cleavage by most endogenous cellular glycosidases. Dextrans might be used as either anterior or retro tracers depending on the experiment protocol and tissue type used. Fluorescence labeled dextrans are routinely employed in microscopic studies to monitor cell division, to trace neuronal projections and track the movement of live cells, and to report the hydrodynamic properties of the cytoplasmic matrix.

The labeled dextran is commonly introduced into the cells via microinjection. Due to widely variable size and low toxicity, fluorescent dextran conjugates are utilized in a variety of biological studies such as cell lineage tracing in live cells, intercellular communication examination, vascular permeability, tracking endocytosis, and blood–brain barrier integrity. BioActs developed two types of fluorescence conjugated dextrans: Dextran (3K) and (10K) series. Dextran (3K) series is a wide range of fluorescent dyes conjugated 3000 dalton dextran, and in dextran (10K), the size of dextran is 10000 dalton. The 3K dextrans display several advantages over higher size dextrans, including faster axonal diffusion and greater access to peripheral cell processes. However, dextran (10K) can be transported over longer distance and can be applied to cut and fix nerves and brain tissues. Dextran 3K and 10K might be utilized in a range of biochemical and biomedical applications, including for analyzing fluid-phase endocytosis, for tracing cell lineage, for examining intercellular communications, and for investigating vascular permeability and blood–brain barrier integrity.