Glycoscience

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is located in the cytosol of cells, catalyzes the conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde. In this reaction, a hydrogen ion (H+) is abstracted from ethanol and two electrons (e-) are added to the molecule. The addition of these electrons results in the formation of a hydrogen bond between the alcohol and an electron-donating species such as water or octyl glucopyranoside. Octyl glucopyranoside is a detergent that has been used as a substrate for measuring rates of alcohol dehydrogenase. This detergent also has been shown to be effective at removing glycol ethers from biological samples.
The biochemical research on octyl glucopyranoside includes its use as an equilibrative nucleoside and its effect on bowel disease.

1,2,3,4-Tetra-O-acetyl-5-alkynyl-L-fucose is a per-O-acetylated version of 5-alkynyl-L-fucose, an inhibitor of the cellular fucosylation pathway. 1,2,3,4-Tetra-O-acetyl-5-alkynyl-L-fucose can pass through the eukaryotic cell membrane somewhat better than 5-alkynyl-L-fucose can itself, is deacetylated by cellular esterases and interferes with the biosynthesis of the fucosyl-donor and fucosyltransferase substrate GDP-Fuc, thus reducing fucosylation levels during glycoprotein biosynthesis (Dekkers, 2016).

Inhibitor of α-glucosidase with applications in diabetes therapy for control of post-prandial blood glucose fluctuations. The compound inhibits the digestive breakdown of complex carbohydrates to absorbable monosaccharides and smoothens hyperglycaemic peaks in type 2 diabetes mellitus. It also possesses anti-obesity effects thanks to activation of brown adipose tissue and increasing energy expenditure.

Difucosyl (1-2,1-2)-iso-lacto-N-octaose (DFiLNO (1-2,1-2)) is an oligosaccharide that is found in human milk

GD1b ganglioside (shown as ammonium salt) is one of the major gangliosides in neuronal and glial membranes. It has a core tetrasaccharide structure (Galβ1,3GalNAcβ1,4Galβ1,4Glc) with its two sialic acids linked α2,3/α2,8 to the inner galactose residue, and ceramide linked β to position 1 on the reducing terminal glucose residue (Ledeen, 2009). GD1b ganglioside acts as a receptor for BK virus, as well as for heat-labile LTII-a toxin, produced by enteropathogenic E. coli. GD1b ganglioside also interacts with tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) and is crucial for its entry into cells (Kolter, 2012). The functional significance of ammonia in the brain is not yet fully understood: see (Modi 1994).

Tetrasaccharide; tumor-associated antigen; prognostic factor

In water, hydroxypropyl cellulose forms liquid crystals with many mesophases depending on concentration. These mesophases include isotropic, anisotropic, nematic and cholesteric, the latter resulting in many colors such as violet, green and red. Pharmaceutical applications include treatments for medical conditions such as dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), recurrent corneal erosions, decreased corneal sensitivity, exposure and neuroparalytic keratitis. It is also used as a binder in tablets. Hydroxypropylcellulose is also used as a thickener, a binder and emulsion stabiliser in foods with E number E463.  HPC is used as a support matrix for DNA separations by capillary and microchip electrophoresis.

Tri-guluronic acid sodium salt (1,4-linked α-L-sodium guluronotriose) is one of a number of oligosaccharides obtained from alginate which is a polysaccharide in brown seaweeds containing: blocks of repeating mannuronic acid sequences (M-M-M-M etc), repeating guluronic acid sequences (G-G-G-G etc), and alternating M-G-M-G sequences. This oligosaccharide can be released by acid hydrolysis (Shimokawa, 1996) and a number of biological activities have been discussed in a recent review (Xing, 2020).

Benzoate is a carboxylic acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables. Benzoate can be metabolized by the body to form hydrogen chloride, which may cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. This chemical has been shown to have cytotoxic activity against human cancer cells in vitro. Benzoate also has an anti-inflammatory effect on insulin resistance and can be used as a topical treatment for psoriasis. The mechanism by which benzoate exerts its anticancer activity is not fully understood, but it may involve the production of reactive oxygen species or induction of apoptosis.

1,4-Anhydro-D-mannitol is a sugar alcohol that belongs to the group of alditols. It is a tautomer of galactitol, which is found in fetal bovine serum. The dehydrated form of this compound has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity. 1,4-Anhydro-D-mannitol may be used as an intermediate in the production of polymers or as a cosmeceutical agent due to its high water solubility and low toxicity.