GLYCOSIDE

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. In animals and humans, poisons are often bound to sugar molecules as part of their elimination from the body.

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glycoside

Noun

  1. A molecule in which a sugar group (the glycone) is bound to a non-sugar group (the corresponding aglycone) by a nitrogen or oxygen atom. Glycosides yield a sugar after undergoing hydrolysis.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: glycoside
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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