glucose

Also known as dextrose, d-glucopyranose, cerelose, grape sugar, corn sugar

Glucose is a sugar with the molecular formula . It is the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is made from water and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis by plants and most algae. It is used by plants to make cellulose, the most abundant carbohydrate in the world, for use in cell walls, and by all living organisms to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used by the cell as energy. Glucose is often abbreviated as Glc.

OverviewAI-generated

Glucose is a chemical substance with the formula C₆H₁₂O₆. It is categorized under the Commons category "Glucose" and assigned the MCN code 1702.40.10. The subject is referenced by 2,972 other encyclopedia articles.

In food databases, glucose is listed as a category with six associated products. Nutritional data for this category indicates an energy content of 304 kcal. The composition includes 76.5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 35.6 grams are sugars. Other components are 0.1 grams of fat, 0.1 grams of saturated fat, 0.2 grams of proteins, 0 grams of fiber, and 0.03 grams of salt. The Nova classification for this category is 4.

Synthesized by Vinony from 17 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, Openfoodfacts, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Nutrition · Open Food Facts

Typical values per 100 g · averaged across 6 products

4NOVA · Ultra-processed food

Energy: 304 kcal
Fat: 0.1 g
— of which saturates: 0.1 g
Carbohydrates: 76.5 g
— of which sugars: 35.6 g
Fibre: 0 g
Protein: 0.2 g
Salt: 0.03 g

Browse on Open Food Facts →

via Open Food Facts · ODbL

Research

764,432 papers

High-glucose induces retinal pigment epithelium mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis and inhibits mitophagy by regulating ROS/PINK1/Parkin signal pathway.Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 2019Zhang Y, Xi X, Mei Y et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.01.034
Renal glucose metabolism in normal physiological conditions and in diabetes.ReviewDiabetes research and clinical practice · 2017Alsahli M, Gerich JEDOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2017.07.033
Glucose-sensing neurons: are they physiologically relevant?ReviewPhysiology & behavior · 2002Routh VHDOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(02)00761-8
Homeostasis of Glucose and Lipid in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2019Chao HW, Chao SW, Lin H et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020298
Practical considerations for continuous glucose monitoring in elite athletes with type 1 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review.ReviewThe Journal of physiology · 2024Brar G, Carmody S, Lumb A et al.DOI: 10.1113/JP285836
Glucose-Mediated Glucose Disposal at Baseline Insulin Is Impaired in IFG.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2019Alatrach M, Agyin C, Mehta R et al.DOI: 10.1210/jc.2017-01866
The regulation of glucose effectiveness: how glucose modulates its own production.ReviewCurrent opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care · 2005Tonelli J, Kishore P, Lee DE et al.DOI: 10.1097/01.mco.0000172588.47811.63
Update on Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and the Role of Continuous Glucose Monitor Technology.ReviewDiabetes technology & therapeutics · 2025Lachaud A, Durnwald CDOI: 10.1089/dia.2025.0148

via PubMed

~55 min read

Encyclopedic overview

39 sections

Contents

Chemical and physical properties
Structure and nomenclature
Open-chain form
Cyclic forms
Mutarotation
Optical activity
Isomerisation
Biochemical properties
Uptake
Biosynthesis
Glucose degradation
Energy source
Precursor
Regulatory role in cell differentiation
Pathology
Diabetes
Hypoglycemia management
Sources
Commercial production
Conversion to fructose
Commercial usage
Analysis
Classical qualitative detection reactions
Fehling test
Tollens test
Barfoed test
Nylander's test
Other tests
Instrumental quantification
Refractometry and polarimetry
Photometric enzymatic methods in solution
Photometric test-strip method
Amperometric glucose sensor
Other sensory methods
Copper iodometry
Chromatographic methods
In vivo analysis
References
External links

In energy metabolism, glucose is the most important source of energy in all organisms. Glucose for metabolism is stored as a polymer, in plants mainly as amylose and amylopectin, and in animals as glycogen. Glucose circulates in the blood of animals as blood sugar. The naturally occurring form is -glucose, while its stereoisomer -glucose is produced synthetically in comparatively small amounts and is less biologically active. Glucose is a monosaccharide containing six carbon atoms and an aldehyde group, and is therefore an aldohexose. The glucose molecule can exist in an open-chain (acyclic) as well as ring (cyclic) form. Glucose is naturally occurring and is found in its free state in fruits and other parts of plants. In animals, it is released from the breakdown of glycogen in a process known as glycogenolysis.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “glucose” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.