Friday, August 9, 2019

Glycogen

Glycogen is a multibranched polysaccharide  of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage in animals,fungi, and bacteria.The polysaccharide structure represents the main storage form of glucose in the body.In humans, glycogen is made and stored primarily in the cells of the liver and skeletal muscle. In the liver, glycogen can make up 5–6% of the organ's fresh weight, and the liver of an adult weighing 70 kg can se roughly 100–120 grams of glycogen.In skeletal muscle, glycogen is found in a low concentration  and the skeletal muscle of an adult weighing 70 kg stores roughly 400 grams of glycogen. The amount of glycogen stored in the body—particularly within the muscles and liver—mostly depends on physical training, basal metabolic rate, and eating habits. Small amounts of glycogen are also found in other tissues and cells, including the kidneys, red blood cells,white blood cells,and glial cells in the brain.
Glycogen is the analogue of starch, a glucose polymer that functions as energy storage in plants. It has a structure similar to amylopectin,  but is more extensively branched and compact than starch. Both are white powders in their dry state. Glycogen is found in the form of granules in the cytosol/cytoplasm in many cell types, and plays an important role in the glucose cycle.

No comments:

Post a Comment