Department of Glycochemistry - Research on Carbohydrates and Biomass

1. Department of Glycochemistry,Inst. Chem., Slovak Acad. Sci. Oddelenie glykochémie The Department of Glycochemistry is comprised of two specialized laboratories: • Laboratory of Sugars and Glycomimetics • Laboratory of BiocatalysisandOrganic Synthesis By means of their synthetic and analytical methodologies, the Department is devoted, from several points of view of its individual laboratories, to the research of carbohydrates that are a dominant part of renewable biomass.

2. 5 % offats, proteins, terpenoides, alkaloids,etc.) 20 % of lignin 75 % sacharides Renewable biomass (200 billion tons a year) Oddelenie glykochémie 20 % Nature by photosynthesis and subsequent biochemical processes produces about200 billion ton a year of biomass, mainly composed of saccharides

3. Biologicalproperties of sacharides • Carbohydrates, in addition to their long-known roles in the living matter, which are plant cell wall structural building and energy source and storage functions, possess several other, the living matter forming and supporting roles, which are being recognized in a few last decades only. • Due to their structural diversity, which by far exceeds thestructuraldiversity ofnucleic acids and proteins, sugars are inter alia responsible for the recognition phenomenaboth inside the cells and at their surfaceas well as for thecell specializationincluding the tissuedifferentiationand development of individual organs of the living organisms. Oddelenie glykochémie

4. The sugar code of cells is recognized by the protein receptors using the lock and key principle http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/images/lock&key.jpg This principle of the biological recognition on the cellular level, which is most frequently occurring between sugars and proteins, takes place in majority of normal and pathological processes in living organisms.

5. The knowledge of the structure and biological functions of saccharides Oddelenie glykochémie • represents an irreplaceable diagnostics of the normalas well as pathological development oforganisms and their organs • offers new, sugar based approaches for design and development of drugs of new generation –glycomimetics, or structural imitations of sugars, picklocks of the sugar code – for treatment of diverse, so far often incurable diseases

6. Laboratory of sugars and glycomimetics(1) • in order to broaden the assortment and to recognize the properties necessary for further research, the Laboratory develops new methods of synthesis of sugars and their derivatives,e.g. Oddelenie glykochémie Sugars Sugar derivatives

7. Laboratory of sugars and glycomimetics (2) • in order to develop a new generation of drugs based on sugars, e.g. for treating tuberculosis, cancer, or virus diseases, the Laboratory designs, synthesizes and studies biological properties of new structural motifs of glycomimetics, which could lead to drugs preventing the development or enabling the treatment of these diseases by inhibiting the relevant sugar-processing enzymes participating in the development of these diseases. glycomimetics

8. Laboratory of BiocatalysisandOrganic Synthesis Currently the Laboratory deals with application of enzymes (lipases, esterases, glycosidases) as alternatives to classic chemical processes for preparation of biologically active natural compounds – glycophenolícs. Glycophenolics can help treating lifestyle diseasescaused by oxidative stress (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disorders, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, ischemia, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders). Chemical catalysis Enzymatic catalysis Drugs Biodetergents Nutraceutics Bioplastics Sugars Excellence centre for methods and processes of green chemistry Centrum excelentnosti metód a procesov zelenej chémie