Galactose

This is aldohexose, of which D- and L-anantiomers are found in nature. D-galactose is part of the disaccharide lactose and galactolipids.

Galactose metabolism

Galactose is a product of lactose digestion in the small intestine. It is classified as a rapidly metabolized monosaccharide. Tissues in the human body and other mammals use it as an energy-containing compound or as a compound needed for the synthesis of glucocconjugates (proteoglycans, glycoproteins, glycolipids). As an energy compound, galactose metabolism occurs in the so-called Leloir pathway.

The conversion of galactose to glucose-1-phosphate is carried out by 3 enzymes – galactokinase, galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase, and UDP-glucose 4-epimerase. A decrease in the activity of these enzymes is the cause of a condition known as galactosemia.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė