Description

• General description: Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide, ubiquitously present in nature. It is used as a food preservative and also to retain enzymes, vaccines, cells and many other molecules.[1] Trehalose is present as hemolymph sugar among the invertebrates.[2]
• Application: D-(+)-Trehalose dihydrate has been used in a slow-freezing method for freezing rabbit oocytes.[2] It has also been used in solid-surface vitrification (SSV) of in vitro-matured oocytes.[3][4] It is suitable for use as a cryoprotectant in a variety of cell freezing media.
• Biochem/physiol Actions: Trehalose is essential for embryogenesis, carbon metabolism, photosynthesis and flowering in plants. It predominantly exists among the species that supports anhydrobiosis (life without water).[1] It serves as a carbohydrate reserve in microorganisms and protects them from adverse conditions,[5] such as heat, cold, dehydration, desiccation and oxidation.[2] Trehalose acts as a chemical chaperone affecting protein folding. It is known to prevent amyloid generation and accummulation of β-amyloid in vitro. A similar effect of trehalose has been observed with huntingtin protein aggregation. Thus, it might serve as a protective agent in Alzheimer′s disease and Huntington′s disease.[2]