Used in biochemical research and enzymatic synthesis, particularly in the study of carbohydrate metabolism. Serves as a substrate for enzymes like glycogen phosphorylase and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in pathways involving glycogen and sucrose synthesis. Commonly applied in assays to investigate glucose metabolism, nucleotide sugar formation, and enzyme kinetics. Also utilized in the preparation of labeled carbohydrates for metabolic tracing experiments. Its stability and solubility make it suitable for in vitro systems modeling cellular sugar nucleotide production.