Dextran is a biocompatible and water-soluble polysaccharide widely used in medical, pharmaceutical, and biochemical applications. It serves as a plasma volume expander in hypovolemic shock and acute blood loss, maintaining blood volume and circulation. In pharmaceutical formulations, it acts as a stabilizer, carrier, or excipient for drugs, enhancing delivery, solubility, and controlled release profiles.

In laboratory settings, dextran is essential for size-exclusion chromatography as the backbone of matrices like Sephadex, enabling separation of molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids by size. It is also used in blood analysis, including erythrocyte sedimentation and separation of red blood cells for diagnostic purposes.

In ophthalmic products, dextran reduces viscosity and improves lubrication in eye drops for dry eye relief. Additionally, it functions as an anti-fouling coating on medical devices to prevent protein or cell adhesion, reducing risks of thrombosis in catheters and tubing.

Dextran plays a key role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as a tunable scaffold material. Modified dextrans are explored for targeted drug delivery, particularly in cancer therapy, where conjugation with drugs or nanoparticles increases specificity and minimizes systemic toxicity.