N-Acetyl-α-D-glucosamine (alpha-GlcNAc) is a major component of complex carbohydrates, that has been found in N- and O-glycans and glycolipids. Glycosaminoglycans and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of membrane-bound glycoproteins also contain GlcNAc moieties. GlcNAc is derived from the degradation of glycoconjugates by glycosidases and from nutritional sources. GlcNAc is converted into GlcNAc-6-phosphate by the N-acetylglucosamine kinase. GlcNAc-6-phosphate can enter a catabolic pathway that ultimately leads to the formation of fructose-6-phosphate, or it can enter an anabolic pathway leading to the formation of UDP-GlcNAc.

Radioactive ZN-65 was used as a diagnostic compound. It was used to determine the intracellular distribution of zinc in normal and tumor tissues. It was found that Zn was in nuclear, mitochondrial and supernatant fractions of mammary tumors and livers. In addition, some part of ZN-65 was bound to protein and could not be removed by exchange or by combination with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid.