Amino sugar

In chemistry, an amino sugar contains an amine group in place of a hydroxyl group. Derivatives of amine containing sugars, such as N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid, while not formally containing an amine, are also considered amino sugars.

Aminoglycosides are a class of antimicrobial compounds that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis. These compounds frequently contain amino sugars (but in some cases contain aminocyclitols).

Common examples of amino sugars include:


 * Galactosamine
 * Glucosamine
 * Sialic acid
 * N-Acetylglucosamine