glucan
Sign in to saveAlso known as glucans, poly-D-glucose
A glucan is a polysaccharide derived from D-glucose, linked by glycosidic bonds. Glucans are noted in two forms: alpha glucans and beta glucans. Many beta-glucans are medically important. They represent a drug target for antifungal medications of the echinocandin class.
Research
230,047 papers- Glucan-based biomaterials and their applications in the biomedical field.International journal of biological macromolecules · 2025
- α- and β-1,3-Glucan Synthesis and Remodeling.Current topics in microbiology and immunology · 2020
- Fungal beta(1,3)-D-glucan synthesis.Medical mycology · 2001
- β-Glucan in Foods and Its Physiological Functions.Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology · 2018
- α-Glucan biosynthesis and the GlgE pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Biochemical Society transactions · 2016
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Article
10 sectionsContents
- Types
- Alpha
- Beta
- Properties
- Structure
- Biochemical synthesis
- Functions
- Clinical significance
- See also
- References
A glucan is a polysaccharide derived from D-glucose, linked by glycosidic bonds. Glucans are noted in two forms: alpha glucans and beta glucans. Many beta-glucans are medically important. They represent a drug target for antifungal medications of the echinocandin class.
In the field of bacteriology, the term polyglucan is used to describe high molecular mass glucans. They are structural polysaccharide consisting of a long linear chain of several hundred to many thousands D-glucose monomers. The point of attachment is O-glycosidic bonds, where a glycosidic oxygen links the glycoside to the reducing end sugar. Polyglucans naturally occur in the cell walls of bacteria. Bacteria produce this polysaccharide in a cluster near the bacteria's cells. Polyglucan's are a source of beta-glucans. Structurally, beta 1.3-glucans are complex glucose homopolymers binding together in a beta-1,3 configuration.