Trehalose and its diverse biological potential

Trehalose, a disaccharide molecule of natural origin, is known for its diverse biological applications, like in drug development, research application, natural scaffold, stem cell preservation, food, and various other industries. This review has discussed one such diverse molecule 'trehalose aka mycose', and its diverse biological applications with respect to therapeutics. Due to its inertness and higher stability at variable temperatures, it has been developed as a preservative to store stem cells, and later, it has been found to have anticancer properties. Trehalose has recently been associated with modulating cancer cell metabolism, diverse molecular processes, neuroprotective effect, and so on. This article describes the development of trehalose as a cryoprotectant and protein stabilizer as well as a dietary component and therapeutic agent against various diseases. The article discusses its role in diseases via modulation of autophagy, various anticancer pathways, metabolism, inflammation, aging and oxidative stress, cancer metastasis and apoptosis, thus highlighting its diverse biological potential.