glycogen
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A typical polysaccharide molecule, glycogen (animal starch), is formed from linked glucose (C6H12O6) molecules. A glycogen molecule has 100–1,000 linked glucose units.
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How blood-sugar levels are maintained in the body. When blood-sugar levels rise, insulin is secreted by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas to facilitate the storage of glucose as glycogen. When blood-sugar levels fall too low, glucagon is secreted from the pancreas to facilitate the breakdown of glycogen back into glucose.
Polymer (a polysaccharide) of the sugar glucose made and retained in the liver as a carbohydrate store, for which reason it is sometimes called animal starch. It is a source of energy when needed by muscles, where it is converted back into glucose by the hormone insulin and metabolized.
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