Awareness of the importance of carbohydrates in living systems and medicine is growing due to the increasing understanding of their biological and pharmacological relevance
Carbohydrate-based or -modified therapeutics are used extensively in cardiovascular and hematological treatments ranging from inflammatory diseases and anti-thrombotic treatments to wound healing
Compounds that are essentially the hydrates of carbon, comprising carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with the last two elements existing in the same proportions as in water (H2O - 2:1)
Carbohydrates represent not only the sugars but also those substances that are related to them basically in structure and other characteristic features
Carbohydrates belong to the chemical class of the aldehydes, ketone alcohols, and also the condensation polymers of these partially oxidized polyalcohol collectively known as 'Polysaccharides' or 'Oligosaccharides'
With increasing complexity of the chemical structure, the water solubility decreases. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are soluble in water while polysaccharides are insoluble, hence, heat is required to dissolve them.
With increasing complexity of the chemical structure, the level of sweetness decreases. Monosaccharides and disaccharides taste sweet while polysaccharides taste bland.
Biological source/source: from Gluconic acid. Description: Soluble in cold water; less irritating for parenteral use than calcium chloride. Uses: Electrolyte replenisher
Biological source/source: Inversion of sucrose; honey; hydrolysis of inulin; enzymatically prepared high fructose syrup inverted sugar glucose and fructose. Description: Ketone sugar, colorless crystals or white crystalline or granular, odorless powder that has sweet taste, freely soluble in water, half as sweet to the taste as glucose. Uses: Food for diabetic patients, infant feeding formulas, intravenously, fluid, nutrient and electrolyte replenisher
Biological source/source: Corn cobs, straw. Description: Sweet taste; absorbed from the small intestine; not metabolized by mammalian enzymes. Uses: Diagnostic agent for the evaluation of intestinal absorption
Anaerobic conversion of glucose to pyruvic acid by glycolysis. In the absence of air, pyruvic acid may be converted to lactic acid or to ethanol. Lactic acid can be converted to energy without oxygen. Accumulation of it in the blood results to muscle cramps
Pyruvic acid undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to yield acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA or active acetate) which can be utilized in a variety of reactions including the acetylation of aromatic amines and alkaloids or the biosynthesis of fatty acids or steroids.
Most of the acetyl-CoA undergoes condensation with oxaloacetate to form citrate, thereby entering the TCA cycle where it is oxidized to CO2 and water with the liberation of energy