Acarviosin is a sugar composed of cyclohexitol linked to a 4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-glucopyranose. Acarviosin is part of the potent α-amylase inhibitor acarbose

Acarbose

Acarbose is an anti-diabetic drug used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and, in some countries, prediabetes. It is a generic sold in Europe and China as Glucobay , in North America as Precose , and in Canada as Prandase...

 and its derivatives. The nitrogen atom binds to α-amylase more tightly than the natural substrate making it more potent than other inhibitors. Several other acarviosin-containing α-amylase inhibitors have been found in microbes including isovalertatins and butytatins from Streptomyces luteogriseus and longer oligosaccharide

Oligosaccharide

An oligosaccharide is a saccharide polymer containing a small number of component sugars, also known as simple sugars...

s from Streptomyces coelicoflavus.