Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides
• Repeating units of monosaccharides or their
derivatives held together by glycosidic bonds.
– Structural function.
– Storage (Energy) function.

• Linear as well as branched polymers.

– Branches are possible because glycosidic linkages
can be formed at any one of the hydroxyl groups
of a monosaccharide.

• Many are insoluble in water.

Polysaccharides
• Homopolysaccharides
– Glucans. - Starch, Dextrins, Glycogen,
Cellulose.
– Fructosans. - Inulin.

• Heteropolysaccharides.
– Mucoppolysaccharides.
 Starch

• Carbohydrate reserve of plants.

• Cereals, Roots, Tuber, Vegetables.
• Composed of amylose & amylopectins
• Hydrolyzed by “Amylase” to liberate dextrins
and finally maltose and glucose units.
• Amylase acts specifically on α (14) glycosidic
bonds, which held D-glucose units for Starch.
 Starch
• Consists of two polysaccharide components.
– Amylose (15 – 20%) - water soluble.
– Amylopectin (80 – 85%) - water insoluble.

Amylose

Amylopectin
 Amylose
• Long unbranched chain.

• 200 – 20,000 D-glucose units held together by

α (14) glycosidic linkages.

• form a helix as a result of the bond angles

between the glucose units.
Amylose
Amylopectin
• Highly branched structure (α 16 glycosidic bonds
at branches).
• Insoluble in water
• 20 – 30 glucose units per branch.
 Hydrolysis of starch
• On hydrolysis starch forms
– Amylodextrin
– Erythrodextrin
– Achrodextrins
– Maltose
– Glucose
• Starch can be identified by Iodine test
– It forms a blue coloured complex with iodine
 Cellulose
• Made up of glucose units combined with beta-
1,4 glycosidic linkages
• No branching points
• Cannot be digested by human enzyme system
Cellulose & Starch
Glycogen

Reducing end
 Glycogen
• Storage form of carbohydrates in liver and muscle.
• Highly branched structure.
• Every 11th sugar molecule has a branch.
• Branching makes the molecule more compact
• Hepatic glycogen is important is maintaining the
plasma glucose level
• Muscle glycogen acts as local energy reservoir
Inulin
• Inulin is a polysaccharide
made up of fructose

• It acts as a marker for

glomerular filtration since
it is not synthesized,
metabolized but filtered
completely by glomerulus
 1,2 glycosidic linkage
 Chitin
Chitin is found in crustaceans
lobsters,crabs,shrimps,insects,
mushrooms and fungus
 Heteropolysaccharides
• Heteroglycans made up of repeating units of
different sugar derivatives (aminosugars and
uronic acids).
• Also known as Glycosaminoglycans.
• Acetylated amino groups, sulfates and
carboxyl groups are generally present.
• Presence of these charged groups attract water
molecules and so they produce viscous
solutions.
 Heteropolysaccharides
 Hyaluronic acid
 Dermatan sulphate • Meant mainly for
structural integrity of an
 Keratan sulphate organism
 Heparin
 Chondroitin sulphate
 Hyaluronic acid

β 13 linkage

Repeating units of N-Acetyl glucosamine -

beta -1,4 Glucuronic acid - beta 1,3 N-Acetyl glucosamine
 Hyaluronic acid (Hyaluronan)
• Non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan.
• Distributed widely throughout connective,
epithelial, and neural tissues.
• One of the chief components of the
extracellular matrix
• Found in the ground substance of synovial
fluids of joints and vitreous humor of eyes.
 Hyaluronidase
• An enzyme that breaks β 14 linkage.
• Present in high conc. in testis, seminal fluid,
and in certain snake and insect venoms.
• Hyaluronidase of semen clears the gel (GAG)
around the ovum allowing a better penetration
of sperm into the ovum.
• Hyaluronidase of bacteria helps their invasion
into the animal tissues.
Chondroitin sulfate
 Chondroitin Sulfate
• Composed of a chain of alternating sugars (N-
acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfate and glucuronic
acid).
• Usually found attached to proteins as part of a
proteoglycan.
• A chondroitin chain can have over 100
individual sugars, each of which can be
sulfated in variable positions and quantities.
 Chondroitin Sulfate
• An important structural component of cartilage
and provides much of its resistance to
compression.
• Along with glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate
has become a widely used dietary supplement
for treatment of osteoarthritis.
 Heparin
N-sulfoglucosamine-6-sulfate

1 4

Made up of repeating units of N-sulfoglucosamine-6-

sulfate - Alpha 1,4 iduronic acid
 Heparin
• Anticoagulant.
• Present in Liver, Lung, Spleen and monocytes.
• Used
– In vitro : when taking blood for lab. investigations.
– In vivo : in thromboembolic conditions to prevent
intravascular coagulation.
• Activates Antithrombin III.  inactivates
thrombin, factor X and factor IX.
 Keratan Sulfate
• Only GAG with no uronic acid.

• Galactose and N-acetyl glucosamine in

beta linkage ::: repeating units.

• Found in cornea and tendons.

 Dermatan Sulfate

• L-iduronic acid and N-acetyl galactosamine

in beta-1,3 linkage ::: repeating units.

• Found in skin, blood vessels and heart

valves.
 Heteroglycans (Functions)
• Constituent of extracellular matrix and ground
substance.
• Barrier in tissues.
• Lubricant in joints.
• Helps to maintain the transparency of cornea
• Role in cell migration in embryonic tissues.
• Compressibility of cartilage.
• Role in glomerular filtration.
MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDOSIS
 MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDOSIS

• It is a group of storage disorders which is due to

accumulation of mucopolysaccharides which are not
getting degraded at normal pace due to deficiency of one
or more lysosomal enzymes.

• Urine shows characteristic excretion of oligosaccharides

in various mucopolysaccharidosis.

• All mucopolysaccharidosis are lysosomal storage

disorders.
 MPS

• In all MPS , the material accumulated is DS/ HS with the

exception of Morquio type A and B where the material
accumulated is KS/CS.

• Clinical manifestation of baby suffering from Hurler

syndrome is full abdomen, protruded tongue, bony
deformities.
 GLYCOPROTEINS AND MUCOPROTEINS

• When carbohydrates are attached to protein chain it is

called a proteoglycan.

• If the carbohydrate content is less than 10%, it is known

as glycoprotein.

• If the carbohydrate content is more than 10%, it is known

as mucoprotein.

• They are seen in almost all tissues and cell membranes.

• About 5% weight of cell membrane is carbohydrates.

• Carbohydrate groups cover entire surface of cell

membrane , they are called glycocalyx.

• Their function include role as enzymes, hormones,

transport proteins, structural proteins and receptors.

• Glycophorin is major membrane glycoprotein of

erythrocytes . It is a transmembrane protein.
• Carbohydrate groups are attached to amino terminal
portion, outside the cell surface.

• The oligosaccharide residues of glycoproteins are

composed of varying number of following carbohydrate
residues: glucose, mannose, galactose, arabinose,
xylose, N-acetyl glucosamine, N-acetyl galactosamine,
L-fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid.

• Carbohydrate group is attached to proteins either as O-

glycosidic linkage or N-glycosidic linkage.
• The O-glycosidic linkage is N-acetyl galactosamine to
serine or threonine residues of usual protein.

• Galactose is added to hydroxylysine residues of

collagen.

• The N-glycosidic linkages are made by addition of

carbohydrate group to nitrogen atom of asparagine or
glutamine residues of protein.