6-Deoxy-D-glucose

6-Deoxy-D-glucose is a structural homomorph of D-glucose, which cannot be phosphorylated by hexokinases or glucokinases, as a result of its lack of a hydroxyl group at carbon 6. Studies on Saccharomyces cerevisiae show that 6-Deoxy-D-glucose can be transported in and out of the cell using facilitated diffusion. The lack of its 6-hydroxyl group allows 6-Deoxy-D-glucose to be transported into cells and fully recovered in an unchanged state. It is known that glucose is an important monosaccharide which functions as an energy source for cells. Some believe that the versatility of glucose compared to other monosaccharides is due to the fact that glucose prefers its cyclic form, which reduces glycation.