Advances on Monosaccharides and Oligosaccharides: Structural Modifications and Bioactivities

Derivatives of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides play the important roles in biological processes. Monosaccharides are the single carbohydrate building blocks, such as glucose, xylose, and fructose. Oligosaccharides are composed of 2-10 monosaccharides including disaccharides and trisaccharides. Moreover, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and their derivatives are vital molecules with various biological properties including anticancer activity, antiviral activity, insecticidal activity, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant activity. This review covers a survey of structural modifications, biological activities, and mechanisms of action of monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and their derivatives. Additionally, their structure-activity relationships are also concluded.