A glucan molecule is a polysaccharide of D-glucose monomers^[1] linked by glycosidic bonds.

Many beta-glucans are medically important.

Contents 1 Types 1.1 Alpha 1.2 Beta 2 See also 3 Properties 4 References

[edit] Types

The following are glucans: (The α- and β- and numbers clarify the type of O-glycosidic bond.)

[edit] Alpha

• dextran, α-1,6-glucan
• glycogen, α-1,4- and α-1,6-glucan
• pullulan, α-1,4- and α-1,6-glucan
• starch, α-1,4- and α-1,6-glucan

[edit] Beta

• cellulose, β-1,4-glucan
• curdlan, β-1,3-glucan
• laminarin, β-1,3- and β-1,6-glucan
• chrysolaminarin, β-1,3-glucan
• lentinan, a strictly purified β-1,6:β-1,3-glucan from Lentinus edodes
• lichenin, β-1,3- and β-1,4-glucan
• pleuran, β-1,3- and β-1,6-glucan isolated from Pleurotus ostreatus
• zymosan, β-1,3-glucan

[edit] See also

• Fructan

[edit] Properties

Properties of Glucans include resistance to oral acids/enzyme and water insolubility.

[edit] References

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v • d • e Types of Carbohydrates General: Aldose · Ketose · Pyranose · Furanose Geometry Cyclohexane conformation · Anomer · Mutarotation Monosaccharides Trioses Ketotriose (Dihydroxyacetone) · Aldotriose (Glyceraldehyde) Tetroses Ketotetrose (Erythrulose) · Aldotetroses (Erythrose, Threose) Pentoses Ketopentose (Ribulose, Xylulose) Aldopentose (Ribose, Arabinose, Xylose, Lyxose) Deoxy sugar (Deoxyribose) Hexoses Ketohexose (Psicose, Fructose, Sorbose, Tagatose) Aldohexose (Allose, Altrose, Glucose, Mannose, Gulose, Idose, Galactose, Talose) Deoxy sugar (Fucose, Fuculose, Rhamnose) >6 Heptose (Sedoheptulose) · Octose · Nonose (Neuraminic acid) Multiple Disaccharides Sucrose · Lactose · Maltose  · Trehalose · Turanose · Cellobiose Trisaccharides Raffinose · Melezitose · Maltotriose Tetrasaccharides Acarbose · Stachyose Other oligosaccharides Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) · Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) · Mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) Polysaccharides Glucose/Glucan: Glycogen · Starch (Amylose, Amylopectin) · Cellulose · Dextrin/Dextran · Beta-glucan (Zymosan, Lentinan, Sizofiran)  · Maltodextrin Fructose/Fructan: Inulin · Levan beta 2→6 Mannose/Mannan Galactose/Galactan N-Acetylglucosamine: Chitin Major families of biochemicals Saccharides/Carbohydrates/Glycosides · Amino acids/Peptides/Proteins/Glycoproteins · Lipids/Terpenes/Steroids/Carotenoids · Alkaloids/Nucleobases/Nucleic acids · Cofactors/Phenylpropanoids/Polyketides/Tetrapyrroles