Fresenius Ag

Fresenius Kabi Deutschland Gmbh

Klaus Henning

Klaus Sommermeyer

Burghard Weidler

Michael Gorg

Frank Bepperling

Franz Cech

Thomas Maul

Known hydroxyethylated and -propylated starch types for use as colloid osmotic agent in peritoneal dialysis or as volume replacement composition (plasma expander) have the disadvantage that complete degradation by amylase is not possible owing to the more or less extensive substitution by hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl groups. As a consequence thereof, residual fragments remain in the body and are eliminated only very slowly or are stored in various organs/tissues, especially with relatively high and/or long-term dosage. These disadvantageous properties can be very substantially avoided according to the invention with a highly branched, unsubstituted or low-substituted starch product, i.e. with a starch which has a significantly higher degree of branching than amylopectin, and has the degree of &#x3b1;-I,6 branching of glycogen, or exceeds the latter and&#x2014;if substituted&#x2014;has a degree of substitution MS of only up to 0.3.

Highly branched, unsubstituted or low-substituted starch products, dialysis solution and plasma expander containing the same, and the use thereof

The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of hydrolytically broken down starch or hydrolytically broken down substituted starch products such as hydroxyethyl- or hydroxypropyl starch. The invention essentially consists of carrying out most of the hydrolytic breakdown in a pipe-shaped, temperature-controlled reactor having no mixing elements. The remaining breakdown is carried out in one or more reactors fitted with mixing elements (fine hydrolysis). The product obtained can be used both in the food industry and for medical purposes, especially as plasma diluent.

Method for the continuous production of hydrolytically broken down and possibly substituted starch, use of hydrolytically broken down starch and device for producing same

Method of producing starch decomposition products

The use of a hydroxyethyl starch specification with a molecular weight M.sub.W of 110,000 to 150,000, a substitution level MS of 0.38 to 0.5, a substitution level DS of 0.32 to 0.45, and a C.sub.2 /C.sub.6 ratio from 8 to 20 for improvement of microcirculation in a peripheral arterial circulation disorder, in particular in already existing peripheral arterial occlusive disease in Stage II according to Fontaine. This hydroxyethyl starch specification can be used in suitable concentrations, e.g., as 6 wt.-% or 10 wt.-% solution, whereby these solutions optionally contain conventional adjuvants and additives.

Use of hydroxyethyl starch for improvement of microcirculation

A hydroxyethyl starch for use as plasma expander which is obtainable by hydrolytic predegradation of a starch rich in amylopectin, partial hydroxyethylation to a specific substitution degree in the presence of alkali and subsequent hydrolytic degradation to a specific molecular weight, comprises a mean molecular weight of 60,000-600,000 and a substitution degree MS of 0.15-0.5. The ratio of the substitution of C2 to the substitution of C6 of the anhydroglucose units is 8-20 and the substitution degree DS lies in the range from 0.15 to 0.5. A process for the preparation of this hydroxyethyl starch employs 2-chloroethanol as hydroxyethylation agent. The hydroxyethylation is carried out under alkaline conditions at room temperature, the pH value held at a value of about 12 and the temperature held at a value of about 20.degree. C.

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Usingen, Germany

Klaus Henning