What is the Mannitol used for in Perque Vessel Guard? it is transported to the brain and organs with it, correct? Does anyone use Perque?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannitol
Mannitol is a
sugar alcohol; that is, it is derived from a sugar by reduction, with a
molecular weight of 182.17 g/mol,
[3] and a
density of 1.52 g/mL.
[4] Other sugar alcohols include
xylitol and
sorbitol. Mannitol and sorbitol are isomers, the only difference being the orientation of the hydroxyl group on carbon 2.
[5] Aqueous solutions of mannitol are mildly
acidic and sometimes such solutions are treated to lower the
pH
...
Mannitol is used clinically in
osmotherapy to reduce acutely raised
intracranial pressure until more definitive treatment can be applied, e.g., after
head trauma. It is also used to treat patients with
oliguric renal failure. It is administered
intravenously, and is filtered by the
glomeruli of the
kidney, but is incapable of being resorbed from the
renal tubule, resulting in decreased water and
Na+ reabsorption via its
osmotic effect. Consequently, mannitol increases water and Na+ excretion, thereby decreasing extracellular fluid volume.
Mannitol can also be used as a facilitating agent for the transportation of pharmaceuticals directly into the brain. The arteries of the
blood-brain barrier are much more selective than normal arteries. Normally, molecules can diffuse into tissues through gaps between the
endothelial cells of the blood vessels. However, what enters the brain must be much more rigorously controlled. The endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier are connected by
tight junctions, and simple diffusion through them is impossible. Rather,
active transport is necessary, requiring energy, and only transporting molecules that the arterial endothelial cells have receptor signals for. Mannitol is capable of opening this barrier by temporarily shrinking the endothelial cells, simultaneously stretching the tight junctions between them.