Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) is a synthetic sulfated derivative of dextran, a complex polysaccharide composed of glucose molecules. DSS is characterized as a biocompatible, highly branched polysaccharide with 1–6 and 1–4 glycosidic linkages, featuring approximately 2.3 sulfate groups per glucosyl unit. Dextran sulfate is a sulfated polysaccharide with a variable molecular weight ranging from 5 to 1,400 kDa. It finds extensive use in molecular biology and biochemical research, with a particular emphasis on gastrointestinal investigations.DSS is widely recognized for its ability to induce colonic inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is widely recognized for its capacity to induce colonic inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by creating models of acute, chronic, and relapsing IBD, by adjusting its concentration and administration frequency. Furthermore, Dextran sulfate is applied in various molecular biology techniques, such as precipitating lipoproteins, accelerating DNA probe hybridization, and facilitating ribosomal isolations. Notably, DSS serves as a valuable cross-linker for chitosan, allowing for the creation of microparticles and nanoparticles used in controlled drug delivery systems. Beyond these applications, DSS plays a central role in diverse research areas, particularly immunology and virology, where it actively modulates immune responses, enhances humoral immunity, influences B-lymphocyte activation, and affects thymocyte reactivity to lectins.

Dextran sulfate has been used

• as a molecular weight marker to assess the purity and homogeneity of the purified polysaccharides by gel electrophoresis
• as a component of the hybridization buffer in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) protocol for DNA detection and analysis

Dextran sulfate has many applications and when performing nucleic acid hybridizations, may be used as an accelerant to decrease the time required for probe annealing. Dextran sulfate may be included in the hybridization buffer when the rate of hybridization is a limiting factor in detecting rare sequences or it may be included in the hybridization buffer when a limited amount of probe is available. Dextran sulfate functions as an accelerant by excluding the nucleic acid from the volume of solution occupied by the polymer, thereby, increasing the effective probe concentration.

Dextran sulfate, being a sulfated polysaccharide, consistently triggers experimental acute and chronic colitis. It is believed to initiate mucosal injury and inflammation, primarily through a direct toxic impact on epithelial cells. This initial effect activates macrophages and T lymphocytes, ultimately leading to cytokine-mediated cytotoxicity.

Tested for suitability in nucleic acid hybridizations

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