Therapeutic Polysaccharides Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Therapeutic Polysaccharides - Essay drillOn a fundamental level, polyssarcharides are defined as polymeric cooking stoves composed of mono- or di-saccharides bound together by glycosidic bonds, a special type of covalent bond. Carbohydrates possess a hemiacetal concourse that contains a reactive anomeric carbon that readily reacts in certain low pH cellular environments to plaster cast a stable glycosidic bond. While the ring structure of the carbohydrate subunits confers a rigid form, the glycosidic bonds stop for chain flexibility, conferring similar mechanical properties found in other semi-elastic polymers (Andre and Gushlbauer 1974, p.803-805). The unique properties yielded by this chemical structure allow polysaccharides to fulfill a variety of biological roles. The plant normally referred to as the Butternut Squash, also commonly called the Winter Squash, Pumpkin Squash, and Field Pumpkin, is scientifically known as Cucurbita moschata, a member of the corresponding famil y as gourds and cucumbers. Like its close relatives, the plant grows on a vine with soft, hairy stems and is found in two North and South America in growing zones USDA 8 through 11 (Saylor and entanglement Vista, Inc. 2008, p.4175). The plant is widely grown for foodstuffs and is a common home gardener favorite. The leaves of the plant are broad, with nearly orbicular structure, and few lobes are present in the vine. Annually, Cucurbita moschata produces yellow colored flowers with wide dispersion and crinkled petal structures, of a monoecious variety possessing both male and female structures within a single plant.