Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the four organic immediate principles in the living organisms. Their main function is to be a source of energy for the organisms that consume them. With regard to the energy function, glucose is the most important carbohydrate, because it is the most abundant monosaccharide in the internal environment. In relation with its structural function in organisms, some carbohydrates with structural function are: cellulose in plants, chitin in arthropods, ribose and deoxyribose in nucleic acids of all living organisms, and peptidoglycan in bacteria. Certain carbohydrates have other specific functions as antibiotic, vitamin C, anticoagulant, hormone, enzyme, and immunological.