What is Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides are generally called as
non-sugars they are not in sweet taste. Polysaccharides are the large chain of
monosaccharide monomers linked together by a special type of bond called the
Glycosidic Bond. Polysaccharides are linear as well as branched polymers. These
Polysaccharides on hydrolysis yield large number of monosaccharide monomers
units. The most common example of the Polysaccharides are Starch
and Glycogen. They are further divided into two types are:
⮚Homopolysaccharides
⮚Heteropolysaccharides
Polysaccharides have wide varieties of functions
depending up on their structure. The most common functions they perform are
Storage of energy, Cellular Support, Cellular communication.
Homopolysaccharides:
These are the polysaccharides that are made up
of only or same one type of monosaccharide monomers. On hydrolysis they yield
only one type of monosaccharide monomers.
Example: Glycogen is the
polysaccharides in Human body it stores energy in muscles. These Glycogen is
made up of 30,000 Glucose molecules joint together by α(1-4) glycosidic linkage
and α(1-6) glycosidic linkage . Starch, Cellulose are also Homopolysaccharides.
Heteropolysaccharides:
Heteropolysaccharides are made up of more then
one monosaccharide monomer units. On hydrolysis they give different type of
monosaccharide monomers. Usually they have complex structure. Found mostly in
the connective tissue.
Example: Heparin is an
anticoagulant agent in human body that contains of D-glucuronic acid,
L-iduronic acid and N-sulfo-D-glucosamine.
Polysaccharides Examples:
STARCH:
⮚It is a Carbohydrate that servers as a storage
material in plants. Starch is a storage Homopolysaccharides.
⮚Starch is generally found in cereals, roots,
tubers, vegetables etc., It contains two components water soluble amylase
(15-20%) water insoluble Amylopectin (80-85%). Chemically amylase is an
unbranched chain with 200-1000 D-Glucose units α(1-4) glycosidic linkage.
Amylopectin is a branched chain with 20-30 D-Glucose units per branch.
GLYCOGEN:
⮚Glycogen is the Polysaccharide in human body
that is used to store energy in human body same as Starch in Plants.it stores
energy in muscles, liver. Structure of glycogen is similar to amylopectin but
it is more branched.
⮚These Glycogen is made up of 30,000 Glucose
molecules joint together by α(1-4)glycosidic linkage and α(1-6) glycosidic
linkage. It is also called “animal starch”.
CELLULOSE:
It is a structural polysaccharide; Cellulose is
the most abundant Carbohydrate in nature. Cellulose is a linear polymer of
D-glucose residues linked by beta (1, 4)-O-glycosidic linkages.
HEPARIN:
Heparin is an anticoagulant agent in human body
that contains of D-glucuronic acid, L-iduronic acid and N-sulfo-D-glucosamine.
It is found in the mast cells.
CHITIN:
It is the second abundant carbohydrate in
nature. Chitin is a complex Heteropolysaccharides that is found in the
structural component of fungal walls. In chitin the base is not the glucose but
N-acetyl Glucosamine.
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