Trehalose

Trehalose is a special kind of sugar made from two molecules of glucose. It belongs to a group of sugars called disaccharides, which means it is formed when two simple sugar molecules join together. In trehalose, the two glucose units are connected by a special kind of bond called a 1,1-glycosidic bond.

This sugar can be found in nature in many living things. Some bacteria, fungi, plants, and even certain animals make trehalose to store energy. It also helps these organisms survive tough conditions, such as freezing temperatures or times when there is very little water available.

Trehalose is one of three similar structures called stereoisomers. The other two are called neotrehalose and isotrehalose. While trehalose is common in nature, the other two forms are rare and have only been found in laboratory settings, not in living organisms. This makes trehalose very interesting to scientists who study how living things cope with difficult environments.

Synthesis

Trehalose can be made through at least three different ways in nature. It can also be produced in factories using a material called corn starch.

Properties

Trehalose is a type of sugar made from two glucose molecules joined together. This special bonding makes trehalose very stable, even in hot or acidic conditions, and it does not easily react with proteins.

In living things, trehalose is found in many plants, microorganisms, and some animals like insects and shrimp. It helps provide energy for insect flight and can protect organisms in tough environments by preventing ice formation or replacing water. Trehalose also has potential benefits for human health by helping clear certain proteins.

Nutritional and dietary properties

Trehalose is a type of sugar that breaks down quickly into glucose, a sugar that gives us energy, with the help of a special enzyme called trehalase. This enzyme is found in the intestines of many animals, including humans. When we eat trehalose, it doesn't cause our blood sugar to jump as much as eating regular sugar does.

Trehalose is also used in frozen foods, like ice cream, because it helps lower the freezing point, keeping foods cold for longer. In some groups of people, such as the Greenlandic Inuit, not everyone has the enzyme to break down trehalose.

Metabolism

Trehalose can be made in five different ways by living things. The most common way uses an enzyme called trehalose-6-phosphate synthase. Some bacteria can make trehalose using a different enzyme called trehalose synthase. Another method in some bacteria changes starch into trehalose. In simple bacteria, a special enzyme creates trehalose from two sugar pieces. Some bacteria can also break trehalose back down into simpler sugars.

Humans and other vertebrates cannot make or store trehalose. We find the enzyme that breaks down trehalose in certain parts of our bodies, like the intestines, liver, and blood. Eating foods with trehalose, such as some plants and fungi, is important for our health. Not having enough trehalose in our diet can cause problems like diarrhea.

Medical use

Trehalose is used in some eye drops, together with hyaluronic acid, to help treat dry eye. In 2021, scientists asked special permission to test an injectable form of trehalose for a condition that affects movement in the body. This shows that scientists are exploring new ways to use trehalose to help people.

Originally, some people thought trehalose might be linked to a certain kind of infection, but this idea was later questioned and disputed.

History

In 1832, a scientist named H.A.L. Wiggers discovered trehalose in a type of fungus called ergot that grows on rye. Later, in 1859, another scientist named Marcellin Berthelot found trehalose in a substance made by weevils, small beetles, and named it trehalose.

Researchers have studied trehalose for many years and found that it can help cells clean up and recycle materials. In 2017, they learned that trehalose works by activating a special protein that controls this cleaning process in cells.

Main article: Autophagy