glycoside
Also known as glycosides
thumb| Salicin, a glycoside related to [[aspirin ]] thumb|right|Chemical structure of oleandrin, a [[cardiac glycoside ]]
AI overview
Glycosides are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants, with examples including salicin (related to aspirin) and oleandrin (a cardiac glycoside). These molecules often have pharmaceutical or biological significance in medicine and nature.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
21 sectionsContents
- Related compounds
- Chemistry
- Classification
- By glycone/presence of sugar
- By type of glycosidic bond
- By aglycone
- Alcoholic glycosides
- Anthraquinone glycosides
- Coumarin glycosides
- Chromone glycosides
- Cyanogenic glycosides
- Flavonoid glycosides
- Phenolic glycosides
- Saponins
- <span class="anchor" id="Steroid glycosides"></span>Steroid glycosides (cardiac glycosides)
- Steviol glycosides
- Iridoid glycosides
- Thioglycosides
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb| Salicin, a glycoside related to [[aspirin ]] thumb|right|Chemical structure of oleandrin, a [[cardiac glycoside ]]
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme hydrolysis, which causes the sugar part to be broken off, making the chemical available for use. Many such plant glycosides are used as medications. Several species of Heliconius butterfly are capable of incorporating these plant compounds as a form of chemical defense against predators. In animals and humans, poisons are often bound to sugar molecules as part of their elimination from the body.