Inexpensive starting material for chiral synthesis.

Thyminose induces apoptosis by inhibiting glutathione synthesis and increasing its efflux.

D-(-)-Arabinose is a reducing sugar useful as a substrate in analysis of arabinose isomerases and synthesis of D-erythroascorbic acid in yeast. It shows strong growth inhibition against the Caenorhabditis elegans with an IC50 of 7.5 mM.

D-(+)-Fucose is a non-metabolizable analog of l-arabinose and an inducer of β-methylgalactoside permease. It inhibits the induction of the l-arabinose manipulator and blocks the growth of Escherichia coli B/r on mineral salts medium with l-arabinose.

Arabinose (DL-Arabinose), also known as (+/-)-arabinose or aloe sugar. Arabinose has been primarily detected in feces. Within the cell, Arabinose is primarily located in the cytoplasm. Arabinose exists in all eukaryotes, ranging from yeast to humans. Outside of the human body, Arabinose can be found in sweet basil and tamarind.

L-(+)-Arabinose selectively inhibits intestinal sucrase activity in a non-competitive manner, inhibiting glucose elevation caused by sucrose intake.

D-Ribose(mixture of isomers) (D-(-)-Ribose), commonly referred to as simply ribose, is a five-carbon sugar found in all living cells. Ribose is not an essential nutrient because it can be synthesized by almost every tissue in the body from other substances, such as glucose. It is vital for life as a component of DNA, RNA, ATP, ADP, and AMP.