Mannuronic acid is a
uronic acid monosaccharide
Monosaccharides (from Greek '' monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units (monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built.
Chemically, monosaccharides are polyhy ...
that can be derived from
mannose
Mannose is a sugar with the formula , which sometimes is abbreviated Man. It is one of the monomers of the aldohexose series of carbohydrates. It is a C-2 epimer of glucose. Mannose is important in human metabolism, especially in the glycosylatio ...
. Along with -
guluronic acid
Guluronic acid is a uronic acid monosaccharide that may be derived from gulose. -Guluronic acid is a C-3 epimer of -galacturonic acid and a C-5 epimer of -mannuronic acid. Along with -mannuronic acid, -guluronic acid is a component of alginic aci ...
, -mannuronic acid is a component of
alginic acid
Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. When the alginic acid binds with sodium and calcium ions, the resulting salts are kn ...
, a polysaccharide found predominantly in
brown algae
Brown algae (: alga) are a large group of multicellular algae comprising the class (biology), class Phaeophyceae. They include many seaweeds located in colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate ...
. Mannuronic acid is also incorporated into some bacterial capsular polysaccharides.
References
Uronic acids
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