Effect of the Chemical Modification of Dextran on the Degradation by Rat Liver Lysosomal Enzymes

The biodegradation of dextran, reduced dextran dialdehyde and dextran monosuccinate ester was investigated using isolated rat liver lysosomes. It was demonstrated that chemical modification of the parent dex tran resulted in a reduced degradability. The action of the exo-enzyme α-glucos idase (α-D-glucoside glucohydrolase) was nearly the same for parent dextran as for the derivatives. In order to explain the degradation data, the presence of the endo-acting enzyme dextranase (1,6-α-D-glucan 6-glucanohydrolase) in the lysosomes was taken into account.