Exploring Carbohydrates for Therapeutics: A Review on Future Directions

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Nov 16:12:756724. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.756724. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Carbohydrates are important components of foods and essential biomolecules performing various biological functions in living systems. A variety of biological activities besides providing fuel have been explored and reported for carbohydrates. Some carbohydrates have been approved for the treatment of various diseases; however, carbohydrate-containing drugs represent only a small portion of all of the drugs on the market. This review summarizes several potential development directions of carbohydrate-containing therapeutics, with the hope of promoting the application of carbohydrates in drug development.

Keywords: carbohydrate; conjugates; drug design; drug discovery; glyconanomaterials.

Publication types

  • Review