"Sugar of Life" — Trehalose, the Cell Protector. It is well known that water is the source of life. All living organisms contain varying amounts of water. Taking plants as an example, the water content of aquatic plants can be as high as 98%, while some desert plants have a water content of only 16%. If it falls below this percentage, the protoplasm within these plant cells will be damaged and die. However, there is a type of plant that can still sustain life even when its water content drops below 5%, almost becoming "dry grass." Such plants have been given a new term: "cryptobiotic life."

Later, scientists discovered that cryptobiotic organisms are actually widespread in the biological world. These organisms dehydrate when dried, entering a state of preservation with extremely low or stagnant metabolism, and can immediately revive when rehydration is possible. When dried, the tissues of these organisms contain high levels of trehalose.

Trehalose may be closely related to cryptobiosis: when water is available, trehalose helps Selaginella absorb and store moisture; when dry, trehalose can replace water in tissues, protecting cells from dehydration damage, maintaining the natural structure of cells, and safeguarding biological tissues and life substances from destruction, thus perpetuating the miracle of life!

Trehalose has a miraculous protective effect on organisms. Under harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures, extreme cold, high osmotic pressure, and desiccation, trehalose can form a unique protective film on the cell surface, effectively preventing protein molecules from denaturing and losing activity, thereby maintaining the life processes and biological characteristics of living organisms. In medicine, trehalose is primarily used as a special protective agent for biomolecules and a stabilizer for tissues and cells, such as in monoclonal antibody preparations, blood products, vaccines, antibody enzymes, viruses, hormones, recombinant human proteins, and isolated cells and tissues.

Compared to other types of protective agents, trehalose not only allows for storage at room temperature but also reduces the transmission of hepatitis B and AIDS caused by blood contamination, ensuring the quality and safety of biological products. Additionally, since freezing is not required, it can save substantial cold chain storage costs.