
Why are colloids important in medicine?
Interaction between particles
- Excluded volume repulsion: This refers to the impossibility of any overlap between hard particles.
- Electrostatic interaction: Colloidal particles often carry an electrical charge and therefore attract or repel each other. ...
- van der Waals forces: This is due to interaction between two dipoles that are either permanent or induced. ...
What can colloids be used for?
Some of them include:
- Medicines : Medicines in colloidal form are easily absorbed by the body tissues and hence are more effective.
- Cleansing action of soap : Soap solution is colloidal in nature. ...
- Purification of water : The precipitation of colloidal impurities present in water can be done by adding certain electrolytes like alum etc. ...
What are the types of colloid?
Types of Colloids
- Multimolecular Colloids When the dissolution of smaller molecules of substance or many atoms takes place, they combine to form a species whose size is in the range of colloidal ...
- Macromolecular Colloids In this type of colloids, the macromolecules form a solution with a suitable solvent. ...
- Associated Colloids
What are examples of colloids?
List of examples of colloids
- Plasma
- Organic material
- Milk cream
- Milk
- Latex paints
- Foam
- Jelly
- Fog
- Smoke
- Montmorillonite and other silicate clays

What are the examples of colloids?
Examples of ColloidsColloids refer to dispersions of small particles usually with linear dimensions from around 1 nm to 10 micrometres. ... Examples: fog, smog, and sprays.Examples: smoke and dust in the air.Examples: milk and mayonnaise.Examples: pigmented plastics.Examples: silver iodide sol, toothpaste, and Au sol.More items...
When are colloids used?
Colloids are often used to replace and maintain intravascular colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and decrease edema that can result from the use of crystalloid fluids. Colloids are rarely used alone, however; they are typically used in conjunction with crystalloid fluids.
What is the difference between a crystalloid and a colloid?
Colloids are those substances which are not easily crystallized from their aqueous solutions. Crystalloids are those substances which are easily crystallized from their aqueous solution. Colloids contain much larger particles than crystalloids (1 – 200 nm).
Is normal saline a colloid or crystalloid?
While normal saline (0.9% NaCl solution) is the most frequently used crystalloid fluid, many other formulations can provide improved clinical outcomes in specific patient populations. Other commercially available crystalloid fluids include: Lactated Ringer's/Hartman's solution (lactate buffered solution)
Why is blood a colloid?
Why is blood in the form of colloids? Colloids in the blood are formed because blood cells are dispersed solids in plasma proteins in the form of liquid. Colloids affect the level of blood viscosity. In other words, blood is a type of colloid called sol which is a dispersed solid in liquid.
Do colloids increase blood pressure?
Colloids are better than crystalloids at expanding the circulatory volume, because their larger molecules are retained more easily in the intravascular space (Kwan et al, 2003) and increase osmotic pressure (Bradley, 2001).
What IV fluids are colloids?
Examples of colloids are albumin, dextran, hydroxyethyl starch (or hetastarch), Haemaccel and Gelofusine.
What fluids do you give for sepsis?
Answer: Crystalloid solutions remain the resuscitative fluid of choice for patients with sepsis and septic shock. Balanced crystalloid solutions may improve patient-centered outcomes and should be considered as an alternative to 0.9% normal saline (when available) in patients with sepsis.
Can IV fluids cause congestive heart failure?
Patients who are hospitalized with heart failure (HF) and receive both diuretics and intravenous fluids early in their care may be associated with worse outcomes, according to a study published Feb. 2 in JACC: Heart Failure.
What are the 5 types of colloids?
Combining different substances can result in five main types of colloid mixtures: aerosols, foams, emulsions, sols and gels.
What are the 3 main types of IV fluids?
There are three types of IV fluids:Isotonic.Hypotonic.Hypertonic.
Are blood products colloids?
Human albumin is thought of as an ideal colloid and is commonly the reference solution against which other colloids are judged. Human albumin is a naturally occurring monodisperse colloid. Solutions (5% and 20%) are prepared from human plasma and heat treated to ensure that neither hepatitis nor HIV can be transmitted.
How are colloids used in the human body?
There are many applications of colloids in medicine, but the most basic form of colloids in this field is the blood, which is a colloidal solution of albuminoid substances. For example, clotting. When the flesh is cut, and blood comes out, a solution of concentrated ferric chloride is applied to clean it.
What are 10 examples of colloids?
Types of colloids Some examples include whipped cream, mayonnaise, milk, butter, gelatin, jelly, muddy water, plaster, colored glass, and paper.
What is importance of colloids in pharmacy?
Colloids are extensively used for modifying the properties of pharmaceutical agents. The most common property that is affected is the solubility of a drug. However, colloidal forms of many drugs exhibit substantially different properties when compared with traditional forms of these drugs.
What are the 3 types of colloidal system?
On the basis of the type and extent of molecular interactions of the dispersed phase with the dispersion medium, colloidal systems can be classi-fied into three groups: lyophilic, lyophobic, and association colloids.
What are colloids used for?
In clinical practice, artificial colloids such as hydroxyethyl starch, gelatin, and dextran are used to achieve plasma expansion by raising COP. 6,7,11,12 Because the colloids dissolve in aqueous solutions like plasma, they contribute to the total osmotic pressure.
Why are colloid solutions used in clinical practice?
Colloid solutions have been extensively administered for volume expansion in critically ill patients, but clinical practice has varied, mainly because of regional differences in the types of colloid solutions available. 1 Moreover, in recent years, results of large trials have examined the efficacy of and adverse events associated with colloids in critically ill patients. 2–4 These trials raise questions regarding the clinical value of colloids and have clearly raised some serious concerns regarding the use of some colloids in groups of critically ill patients.
What is the role of colloids in plasma?
The term colloid is used collectively for high-molecular-weight particles (nominally, a molecular weight > 30,000 Da) in a given solution. In normal plasma, proteins like albumin and globulins are the major colloids present. In clinical practice, artificial colloids such as hydroxyethyl starch, gelatin, and dextran are used to achieve plasma expansion by raising COP. 6,7,11,12 Because the colloids dissolve in aqueous solutions like plasma, they contribute to the total osmotic pressure. Their contribution or fraction of pressure is referred to as the colloid osmotic pressure. In plasma, the colloid osmotic pressure averages about 25 mm Hg, which represents approximately 0.5% of the total osmotic pressure.
What chapter is crystalloid?
Colloids and crystalloids are addressed in detail in Chapter 109 . However, some basic considerations must be made before a colloid or a crystalloid is chosen, as follows:
Why is colloid endocytosis decreased?
The markedly hyperplastic follicular cells continue to produce colloid, but the endocytosis of colloid is decreased due to diminished pituitary TSH secretion in response to the return of blood T4 and T 3 to the normal range.
What are the properties of colloidal solutions?
The molecules used to provide the colloidal and, therefore, the volume-expanding properties of these solutions are human albumin or synthetically modified sugars or collagens.
How are colloids removed from suspension?
The smallest colloids (< 0.1 μm) coagulate quickly into stable aggregates (0.1–1.0 μm) and larger colloids (> 10 μm) are removed from suspension by sedimentation. Thus particles in the range of 0.1–10 μm are the most stable colloidal material in aquatic systems. Accordingly, aggregation is most rapid for the smallest colloids and the initial phases of aggregation. When the organic macromolecules are much smaller than inorganic colloids that occur in the same suspension or flexible enough to form coils, they may be adsorbed as a thin layer on the inorganic colloids, and modify the energy barrier. This results in a change of coagulation rate, for example when clay particles are coated with organic matter. When the organic macromolecules are much larger than the inorganic colloids they may bind to several colloids and induce aggregation by bridging mechanisms. Consequently loose aggregates (flocs) are formed, whose structure, size, density, and rate of formation depend on the flexibility of the macromolecules, their relative length compared to colloidal size, and the relative concentration of colloids and macromolecules.
What is the definition of colloid?
3. A translucent, yellowish, homogeneous material of the consistency of glue, less fluid than mucoid or mucinoid, found in the cells and tissues in a state of colloid degeneration. Synonym(s): colloidin
What is a colloid state?
The particles are too small to settle by gravity or to be readily filtered. The colloid state lies between that of a solution and that of an emulsion.
What is glue in science?
Glue is a colloid of animal gelatin in water; the water is defined as the matrix and the gelatin as the inclusion. Colloid particles measure 1 x 10 -4 to 1 x 10 -6 mm in diameter, forming either a SOL or GEL structure which does not diffuse through cell membranes. Colloids are common in cells, where their large surfaces are important for chemical changes constantly in progress there.
What is lyophilic colloid?
lyophilic colloida stable colloid system in which the disperse phase is relatively liquid, usually comprising highly complex organic substances, such as glue or starch, which readily absorb solvent, swell, and distribute uniformly through the continuous phase.
What is a colloidal particle?
3.a chemical system composed of a continuous medium (the continuous phase) throughout which are distributed small particles, 1 to 1000 nm in size (the disperse phase), which do not settle out under the influence of gravity. Colloidal particles are not capable of passing through a semipermeable membrane, as in dialysis. Solutes that can pass through a semipermeable membrane are sometimes called crystalloids. adj., adjcolloid´al.
Which colloid system is unstable?
lyophobic colloidan unstable colloid system in which the disperse phase particles tend to repel liquids, are easily precipitated, and cannot be redispersed with additional solvent.
Is blood colloids included in total intravenous intake?
Use of colloidsand blood components was defined separately and were included in total intravenous intake.
What are colloids used for?
Colloids are the type on intravenous fluids with high osmolarity that are ideal to transfuse in conditions like decreased intravascular volume. A Few Colloids Examples are: 1 Dextrans (Lomodex) 2 Albumins 3 Gelatins (Haemaccel) 4 Hydroxyethyl Starch 5 Perflurocarbon Emulsions 6 Blood 7 Hextend
Is hextend a colloids?
This is another among the new Colloids Examples. Hextend is another hydroxyethyl starch which also has glucose & lactate but it is under trials and is considered to effect coagulation less than hydroethyl starch.
What are colloids used for?
Colloids are also popular in the industry as they can be applied in thickening agents, paints, ink, rubber, leather tanning industry, the cleansing action of soaps, disinfectant, metallurgy, asphalt emulsion for roads, rubber, cement, graphite, lubricants, and many more.
Why are colloids important?
What Are Colloids and Why Are They Important? Colloids are one of the three primary mixtures. Its particles that range between 1 and 1,000 nanometers is perfectly dispersed in a mixture and do not settle at the bottom of the container; hence they are called colloidal dispersion. The substance in a colloid during the dispersed phase must be larger ...
What happens to a substance in a colloid during the dispersed phase?
The substance in a colloid during the dispersed phase must be larger than a molecule but smaller than the particles that can be seen by the naked eye. If the dimensions are smaller, it will be considered a solution and not a colloid; if it is larger, it becomes a suspension.
What are the four classifications of colloids?
Colloids Classification. According to Libretexts, there are four classifications of colloids: sol, emulsion, foam, and aerosol. Sol colloids are a colloidal suspension are made of very small solid particles in a liquid medium.
What are some examples of food that are colloids?
Some examples of food that are colloids are dairy products like milk and butter, fruit juices, and eggs . The raw egg is a type of sol colloid of a long chain of proteins that are all curled up due to the hydrogen molecule bonding between different parts of the molecule.
Which is more effective, colloidal or albuminoids?
Colloidal medicines are more effective as they can act on a larger area of the body. There are many applications of colloids in medicine, but the most basic form of colloids in this field is the blood, which is a colloidal solution of albuminoid substances.
Is an aerosol a colloid?
Foam is another type of colloid formed when gas particles are trapped inside a liquid or solid. Lastly, aerosol contains liquid droplets or solid particles in a gas.
What is colloids in medicine?
Abstract. Summary. The administration of intravenous fluids is one of the most common and universal interventions in medicine. Colloids are an alternative to the frequently used crystalloids, with highly variable use depending on a myriad of clinical variables.
What is a colloid?
A colloid is defined as a high molecular weight (MW) substance that largely remains in the intravascular compartment, thereby generating an oncotic pressure. Colloids are considered to have a greater intravascular persistence when compared to crystalloids. All colloids, however, are clearly not the same.
How many types of colloids are there?
Colloids are of two types:1–4
Which colloids have the shortest duration of volume expansion?
The duration of volume expansion varies, however, among the different colloids. Gelatins have the shortest duration of volume expansion.
What is colloid in biology?
A colloid is defined as a high molecular weight (MW) substance that largely remains in the intravascular compartment, thereby generating an oncotic pressure. Colloids are considered to have a greater intravascular persistence when compared to crystalloids. This property is lost, however, when capillary membranes are altered in a diseased state.
Where is albumin synthesized?
Albumin is synthesized only in the liver and has a half-life of approximately 20 days. After synthesis albumin is not stored but secreted into the blood stream with 42% remaining in the intravascular compartment1. When administered, two phases are observed. The first depends on the transcapillary exchange rate that corresponds to the passage of albumin from the intravascular to the extravascular compartments which occurs with the help of a transporter albondin.3,5,6The second phase is a function of the fractional degradation rate.
Which solution has a pH of physiological?
Acid-base composition:Albumin and gelatin solutions have physiological pH, while other solutions tend to have acidic pH.
When to use colloids in ICU?
The use of colloids in ICU patients is indicated in cases where crystalloid volume therapy is inadequate. Conclusion: Especially during the first 6 h of sepsis, when aggressive volume therapy is decisive for patient outcome, colloids may be relevant to increase patient survival.
Is synthetic colloidal starch a standard therapy?
Background: Besides albumin, which is gained from human donors, synthetic colloids have been playing a dominant role in treating patients in shock and are standard therapy in intensive care units (ICU). Since the publication of large randomized controlled trials indicating negative effects on renal function, their use has been questioned, especially for hydroxyethyl starch products. The preliminary assumption that these side effects are only existent in first or secondary generation starch fluids was proven incorrect. In fact, the use of hydroxyethyl starch products in critically ill patients is prohibited by the European Medicines Agency.
Which is more effective, colloids or crystalloids?
Perel et al (2013) performed a Cochrane systematic review of 78 randomised controlled trials comparing colloids and crystalloids as plasma volume expanders in patients who were critically ill. They concluded that colloids did not prove more effective than crystalloids in reducing the risk of death in patients with trauma or burns and in patients post-operatively.
Which particles stay in the intravascular space longer than crystalloids?
Particles in the colloids are too large to pass semi-permeable membranes such as capillary membranes, so colloids stay in the intravascular spaces longer than crystalloids. Examples of colloids are albumin, dextran, hydroxyethyl starch (or hetastarch), Haemaccel and Gelofusine.
What is the function of fluid in tissue perfusion?
For effective tissue and organ perfusion, maintenance of finely balanced levels of oxygen, fluid and electrolytes (homoeostasis) is essential. Fluid volumes need to be distributed into the intracellular and extracellular spaces (the latter being further divided into the interstitial and intravascular compartments). The movement of fluid between these spaces is continual. This enables cells to receive their necessary supply of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and carbon. Along with oxygen, these are fundamental for cell performance (Peate and Nair, 2016).
Can sodium chloride cause acidosis?
Excessive amounts of infused sodium chloride 0.9% can produce hyperchloraemic acidosis due to its high chloride content, leading to renal dysfunction, resulting in a reduced glomerular filtration rate (NICE, 2017; Clarke and Malecki-Ketchell, 2016; Myburgh and Mythen, 2013). To reduce this risk, compound sodium lactate solutions (Ringer’s lactate/Hartmann’s solutions) can be used (Joint Formulary Committee, 2017; NICE, 2017).
Why are colloids used?
Colloids are used to provide oncotic expansion of plasma volume. They expand plasma volume to a greater degree than isotonic crystalloids and reduce the tendency of pulmonary and cerebral edema. About 50% of the administered colloid stays intravascular.
What is albumin used for?
Albumin is used for certain types of shock or impending shock. It is useful for plasma volume expansion and maintenance of cardiac output. A solution of NS and 5% albumin is available for volume resuscitation. Five percent solutions are indicated to expand plasma volume, whereas 25% solutions are indicated to raise oncotic pressure.
What is the meaning of "cecal volvulus"?
Cecal volvulus. (A) Clockwise torsion of mesentery of cecum, ascending colon, and terminal ileum. (B) Absence of dorsal mesenteric attachments of cecum and proximal ascending colon, leading to lack of fixation to retroperitoneum.

Colloids Classification
Applications of Colloids
Nature
- Even in nature, colloids are everywhere. One example of that is the blue sky, wherein the light scatters when the particle is smaller than the wavelength of the light. The sky turns blue due to the scattering of light on the small particles. Another example of colloids in nature is the sky's red-orange color during sunrise and sunset, the blue color of the sea, fog mist, and rain. The Tyndall …
Industrial Application
- Colloids are also popular in the industry as they can be applied in thickening agents, paints, ink, rubber, leather tanning industry, the cleansing action of soaps, disinfectant, metallurgy, asphalt emulsion for roads, rubber, cement, graphite, lubricants, and many more. Furthermore, colloids are also observed in the making of photographic plates, sewage precipitation, and smoke precipitati…
Colloids in Food
- Most of the foods today are colloidal. Colloids in food help it give the "mouthfeel" texture, which allows it to melt as it touches the warmth of the mouth. Some examples of food that are colloids are dairy products like milk and butter, fruit juices, and eggs. The raw egg is a type of sol colloid of a long chain of proteins that are all curled up due to the hydrogen molecule bonding between dif…
Agriculture
- Colloids are also in the field of agriculture, starting with the most basic: the soil. Fertile soil is a colloid in which the humus acts as a protective colloid. Another example is the formation of a delta, which happens when the river water, a colloidal solution of clay with a negative charge, and the seawater have a positive charge meet. It forms coagulation that makes clay particles aggreg…
Medicine
- Colloidal medicines are more effective as they can act on a larger area of the body. There are many applications of colloids in medicine, but the most basic form of colloids in this field is the blood, which is a colloidal solution of albuminoid substances. For example, clotting. When the flesh is cut, and blood comes out, a solution of concentrate...