inulin

A fructose polysaccharide from the rhizome of Inula helenium or elecampane (family Compositae) and other plants; used by intravenous injection, where it is filtered by the renal glomeruli but not re-absorbed and thus can be used to determine the rate of glomerular filtration; also used in bread for diabetics. Cf.:i. clearance. SYN: alant starch, alantin, dahlin.

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in·u·lin 'in-yə-lən n a white mildly sweet plant polysaccharide that resists digestion in the stomach and small intestine, is extracted commercially esp. from the roots and rhizomes of composite plants (as chicory), and is used as a source of levulose, as a diagnostic agent in a test for kidney function, and as a food additive to improve the flavor and texture of low-fat and low-sugar processed foods

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n.

a carbohydrate with a high molecular weight, used in a test of kidney function called inulin clearance. Inulin is filtered from the bloodstream by the kidneys. By injecting it into the blood and measuring the amount that appears in the urine over a given period, it is possible to calculate how much filtrate the kidneys are producing in a given time.

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in·u·lin (inґu-lin) an indigestible polysaccharide vegetable starch found in the rhizome of certain plants (Compositae). It is a polymer of fructofuranose, yields fructose on hydrolysis, and is used in a test for determining glomerular filtration rate. See inulin clearance, under clearance.