POLYSACCHARIDE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does polysaccharide mean? 

• POLYSACCHARIDE (noun)
  The noun POLYSACCHARIDE has 1 sense:

1. any of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain chains of monosaccharide molecules

  Familiarity information: POLYSACCHARIDE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POLYSACCHARIDE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain chains of monosaccharide molecules

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

polyose; polysaccharide

Hypernyms ("polysaccharide" is a kind of...):

carbohydrate; saccharide; sugar (an essential structural component of living cells and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain)

Meronyms (substance of "polysaccharide"):

glucosamine (an amino derivative of glucose that is a component of many polysaccharides)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polysaccharide"):

heparin; Lipo-Hepin; Liquaemin (a polysaccharide produced in basophils (especially in the lung and liver) and that inhibits the activity of thrombin in coagulation of the blood; it (trade names Lipo-Hepin and Liquaemin) is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis and in heart surgery)

chitin (a tough semitransparent horny substance; the principal component of the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of certain fungi)

cellulose (a polysaccharide that is the chief constituent of all plant tissues and fibers)

animal starch; glycogen (one form in which body fuel is stored; stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose when needed by the body)

inulin (used to manufacture fructose and in assessing kidney function)

dextrin (any of various polysaccharides obtained by hydrolysis of starch; a tasteless and odorless gummy substance that is used as a thickening agent and in adhesives and in dietary supplements)

mucopolysaccharide (complex polysaccharides containing an amino group; occur chiefly as components of connective tissue)

amylum; starch (a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles)

 Context examples 

Semisynthetic vaccines consisting of polysaccharide antigens from microorganisms attached to protein carrier molecules.

(Conjugate Vaccine, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A type of polysaccharide (sugar molecule) that is made by some plants and animals.

(Chitin, NCI Dictionary)

Ethambutol interferes with the biosynthesis of arabinogalactan, a major polysaccharide of the mycobacterial cell wall.

(Ethambutol, NCI Thesaurus)

The approach uses antibodies to target the K. pneumoniae protective capsule polysaccharide, allowing immune system cells called neutrophils to attack and kill the bacteria.

(Scientists describe potential antibody approach for treating multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, National Institutes of Health)

A type of long, unbranched polysaccharide molecule.

(Glycosaminoglycan, NCI Dictionary)

A polysaccharide consisting of linear beta-(1,4)-linked glycolpyranoside units.

(Cellulose, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

Several chemical classes in Essiac are consistently represented and may attribute to its therapeutic effect, including anthraquinone derivatives such as rhein and emodin, high molecular polysaccharides, and lignans such as arctigenin.

(Essiac, NCI Thesaurus)

The components in Antrodia cinnamomea supplement are rather complex, however, rich in triterpenoids, polysaccharides, nucleosides (adenosine) nucleic acids, superoxide dismutase, other small molecular weight proteins and steroid like compounds.

(Antrodia cinnamomea Supplement, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a type of polysaccharide that is made of a string of glucose (sugar) molecules joined together.

(Beta-glucan, NCI Dictionary)

The polymeric fraction of dietary fiber that includes all polysaccharides and excludes lignin and all starch.

(Non-Starch Polysaccharide, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)