ABSTRACT
Carbohydrates (sugars or saccharides) are a large group of organic polar compounds that contain aldehydes or ketones, or their derivatives, which have many hydroxyl groups in their chemical structure.1 Monosaccharides are the simplest type of carbohydrates, which can assume cyclic forms (hemiketals or hemiacetals) and which can also react with other carbohydrates to form di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are the most abundant class of biomolecules, having diverse functions such as the storage of energy (e.g., starch in plants and glycogen in animals) or the formation of structural components (e.g., cellulose in plants and chitin and cartilage in animals). Additionally, carbohydrates and their derivatives play major roles in biochemical systems, as in the vital parts of proteins (including enzymes, antibodies, and hormones), and are thus crucial for the functioning of physiological processes such as the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting, and development. The inappropriate glycosylation of proteins, for example, can lead to a reduced biological activity, decreased half-life in circulation, or unwanted immunogenicity.
