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Carbohydrates and
Their Analysis, Part One
Carbohydrate Chemistry
Adriana E. Manzi
A
mammalian cell exists,
interacts, reproduces, and dies
as a result of intricate
biochemical and biophysical
mechanisms — many of which remain
unknown or not fully understood even
today. Technological advances have
allowed us to investigate the details of
organelles and cell membranes, of the
types of molecules synthesized within
cells, and their distribution and
trafficking and the effects they have
in their environment. Among the
main macromolecules that make up a
living cell, DNA and protein
structures were studied in detail long WWW.PHOTODISC.COM
before technologies enabled analysis of
the inherently more complex and less outer surface of cells — are in a THE BASIS FOR
predictable carbohydrate structures. position to modulate cell interactions, STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY
Today, detailed analysis of complex making them relevant players in the Carbohydrates are substances that
carbohydrates remains challenging understanding of human health and satisfy the formula (CH 2O) n — as
because of the close similarity between disease. But training in carbohydrate well as many derived substances —
them and the very large number of chemistry, biochemistry, and biology and the term came about long before
possible molecular species involved. lags behind the routine teaching of detailed knowledge of the structural
It is widely recognized that courses related to DNA and protein features was available. From a
complex glycans — expressed on the sciences. Thus, the popularity of chemical standpoint, carbohydrates
carbohydrate studies declined from are polyhydroxyaldehydes (or
the beginning of the 20th century aldoses) or polyhydroxyketones (or
PRODUCT FOCUS: GLYCOPROTEINS when industrial applications of ketoses) and their derivatives (Figure
PROCESS FOCUS: ANALYTICAL polysaccharides were widespread. 1). The simplest ones are
While we ponder whether we are monosaccharides that can be linked
WHO SHOULD READ: QA/QC, PRODUCT actually living at the dawn of the era together to form oligosaccharides
DEVELOPMENT, PROCESS DEVELOPMENT, of “generic” biopharmaceuticals, and polysaccharides. The different
AND ANALYTICAL PERSONNEL perhaps we should take the time to number of carbon atoms in a
learn about these complex molecules. monosaccharide leads to the names
KEYWORDS: GLYCANS, CARBOHYDRATES, Their analysis is a critical component aldotriose, ketohexose, and so on.
OLIGOSACCHARIDES, PAT, COMPARABILITY in the demonstration of molecular Glyceraldehyde is the simplest
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE comparability. aldose and has one asymmetric