Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 6(6), pp.

934-937, 16 February, 2012

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JMPR
DOI: 10.5897/JMPR11.732
ISSN 1996-0875 ©2012 Academic Journals

Review

Glycosides: A potential source of phytomedicine

M. Akram1*, E. Muhiuddin2, A. Ahmed3, Shahab-uddin1, K. UsmanGhani4, H. M. Asif5 and
S. M. Ali Shah5
1
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan.
2
Department of Surgery and Allied Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan.
3
Department of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan.
4
Department of Pre-Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan.
5
College of Conventional Medicine, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Accepted 14 December, 2011

Glycosides are a group of naturally occurring substances in which carbohydrate residue combines with
non-sugar entity (aglycon). Various glycosides occur in plants. Cardiac glycosides (CG) are used as
heart stimulating medicine including digitalis and strophanthus. Many antibiotics are glycosides in
nature including streptomycin. In this review article, introduction, classification and research study of
glycosides has been discussed.

Key words: Glycoside, classification of glycosides, cardiac glycosides, research study.

INTRODUCTION

Glycosides are compounds which upon hydrolysis give
rise to one or more sugars (glycones) and a non-sugar
compound (aglycone or agnen). In a glycosidic
compound a sugar residue is linked to C-l through
oxygen O-gluoside) nitrogen (n-glucoside) or sulphur (s-
glucoside) moiety. B-d-glucose is the most common
sugar found in glycosides. The other sugars decected are
rhamnose, digitoxose and cymarose (deoxysugar). The
glycosides from individual sugars are called glucoside,
rhamnoside, galactside fructoside, etc. in glycosides the
hydroxyl of a sugar is condensed with the hydroxyl of the
non-sugar component. The secondary hydroxyl within the
sugar molecule is condensed to form anoxide ring. Thus,
they may be considered as acettals or sugar ethers. By
acid or base catalyzed or enzymic hydrolysis glycosides
yield the parent sugar together with the non-sugar
compound. The sugar component is known as the
glycone; while the non sugar residue is called aglycone.
The aglycone may be an alcohol, phenol, cyanohydrins
or complex fused ring or heterocyclic hydroxy com-
pounds.
More than one molecule of sugars may be present in
aglycosides which are formed by either separate linkages
or stepwise substitution of the sugars to the aglycone. In
plants only b-forms of glycosides are formed. Most of the
glycosides are colorless, crystalline compounds.
Anthracene glycosides are red, orange colored
compounds and flavone glycosides are yellowish in color.
They are soluble in water and alcohol, but solvents like
petroleum ether, solvent ether chloroform, carbon tetra-
chloride, etc. glycosides are optically laevorotatory. Many
glycosides have antitumor activity, Cham et al. (1987)
studied that glycoalkaloid isolated from Solanum
sodomaeum has antitumor activity. Guimaraes et al.
(2000) demonstrated that Eggplant (Solanum
melongena) infusion has a modest and transitory effect
on hypercholesterolemic subjects.
Fu et al. (2005) demonstrated that total flavones of
Hippophae rhamnoides promote early restoration of
ultimate stress of healing patellar tendon in a rat model.
Jagetia and Rajanikant (2205) studied that curcumin
treatment enhances the repair and regeneration of
wounds in mice exposed to hemibody gamma irradiation.

CLASSIFICATION
*Corresponding author. E-mail: makram_0451@yahoo.com.
Tel: 920216440083. Fax: 920216440079. Various types of classification of glycosides have been

mentioned. On the basis of linkage of sugar molecule to
aglycone, they are divided as follows:
O-glycosides
In these glycosides the sugar is combined with alcoholic
or phenolic hydroxyl function of aglycone: for example,
digitoxin.
N- glycosides
In these glycosides nitrogen of amino group (-nh2/-nh-) is
condensed with a sugar for example, nucleoside.
S-glycoside
These glycosides contain a sugar moiety attached to
sulphur of the aglycone, e.., isthiocyanate glycosides.
C- glycosides
Condensation of a sugar directly to a carbon atom gives
rise to c-glycosides, for example, aloin and cascaroside.
These glycosides are not hydrolyzed with acids, alkalis or
enzymes, on the basis of the chemical nature of aglycone
the glycosides are classified as follows:
Steroidal glycosides
Steroidal glycosides: these glycosides contain a sterol as
an aglycone, for example, diosgenin.
Flavonoid glycosides
Flavonoid glycosides: a flavonoid aglycone is present in
these glycosides for example, rutin. The majority of
flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins,
and isoflavones, are stored in the central vacuole.
Anthracene glycosides
Anthracene glycosides: in this glycone sugar moiety is
attached to an anthracene aglycone for example,
frangulin and barbaloin.
Cyanophoric glycosides
Cyanophoric glycosides: cyanogens are the aglycone
part. They yield hydrocyanic acid on hydrolysis for
Akram et al. 935
example, amygdalin and prunasin.
Triterpenic glycosides
Triterpenic glycosides: a triterpene molecule is
condensed with a sugar component for example,
glycyrrhizin.
Alcohol glycosides
Alcohol glycosides: for example, salicin.
Lactone glycosides
Lactone glycosides: for example, hydroxycoumarin
glycosides.
Lsothiocyanate glucosides
Lsothiocyanate glucosides: for example, sinigrin and
sinalbin.
Saponin glycosides
Saponin glycosides: for example, diosin.
RESEARCH STUDY OF GLYCOSIDES
Flavones C-glycosides from Montana bipinnatifida stems
and evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of extract M.
bipinnatifida has been evaluated for its phenolic
compounds and hepactoprotective activity. A new flavon
C-glycosides named as luteolin 6-C- apioside 8-C-
glucoside (1) as well as apigenin 6-C-glucoside(2),
apigenin 8-C-glucoside(3), apigenin 6,8- di-C-
glucoside(4), luteolin 8-C-glucoside(5) luteolin 6,8- di-C-
glucoside(6), luteolin 6-C- glucoside(7), apigenin(8) and
luteolin(9) were isolated from the M. bipinnatifida stems
aqueous alcoholic extract (Toumy and Enayat, 2011).
Phytochemical constituents vis-a-vis histochemical
localization of forskolin in a medicinal plant Coleus
forskohlii Briq
A study was carried out to determine the tannins,
phlobatannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac
glycosides and alkaloids distribution in C. forskohlii. In
this study, terpenoids, tannins, flavonoids, phlobatannins,
saponins and CG were found in C. forskohlii (Selima,
2011).
936 J. Med. Plants Res.
Table 1. Cardiac glycosides are found in a diverse group of plants (Katz A et al, 2010).
Botanical name
Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis lanata
Nerium oleander
Thevetia peruviana
Convallaria majalis
Urginea maritima and Urginea indica
Strophanthus gratus
Apocynum cannabinum
Cheiranthus cheiri.
New acylated flavonol glycoside from Ceratonia
siliqua L. seeds
A study was carried out to find out new glycosides from
C. siliqua L. seeds. New flavonol glycoside, 4`-p-
hydroxybenzoylisorhamnetin-3-O-_-L-rhamnopyranoside
named ceratoside (5), together with the known
kaempferol-3-O-_-L-rhamnopyranoside (afzelin) (3),
quercetin-3-O-a-Larabinofuranoside (auriculain) (4)
quercetin-3-O-_-L-rhamnopyranoside (6), _-sitosterol (1)
and _-sitosterol-3-O-b-D-glucoside (2) were found from
C. siliqua L. seeds. These compounds were identified
through ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), mass spectrometry
(MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral
data (Gohar et al., 2009).
Phytochemical and antibacterial investigation of bark
extracts of Acacia nilotica
A. nilotica was evaluated for active principles and result
indicated that stem bark extract of the plant contains
terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins and glycosides
(Banso, 2009).
PHYTOMEDICINAL ACTIVITY OF GLYCOSIDES
Devipriya and Shyamladevi (1999) studied that quercetin
exert has protective effect in cisplatin induced cell injury
in the kidney. Cham and Meares (1987) evaluated that
glycoalkaloids from S. sodomaeum L. are effective in the
treatment of skin cancers in man. CG exhibits their action
on heart (Table 1). Cardiac glycosides (CG) are a diverse
family of naturally derived compounds that bind to and
inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase. The therapeutic efficacy of CG for
heart failure is limited by the narrow therapeutic index and
possible arrhythmogenic effects at high concen-trations.
Glycosides possessing bitter taste are called bitter
glycosides for example, glycosides of gentianceae.
Glycosides are used for the treatment of various
illnesses. Digitalis and strophanhus contain CG and are
used as cardiac stimulant drugs. Anthraquinone
Common name
Foxgloves
common oleander
yellow oleander
lily of the valley
Squill
Ouabain
Dogbane
Wallflower
glycosides, present in senna, cascara, rhubab and aloe
are used as laxative. Picrorhiza roots and rhizomes
possess picroside glycosides and are utilized as bitter
tonic and to protect damaged liver. Wild cherry bark and
scilla glycosides have expectorant properties. Dioscin is a
saponin glycosides found in the tubers of dioscorea
species and its hydrolysis furnishes diosgenin aglycone.
Various steroidal drugs have been synthesized from
diosgenin. Some glycosides are less effective in original
from, but produce active compounds on hydrolysis for
example sinigrin a glycoside of black mustard is non-
irritating in its natural form but on hydrolysis a powerful
irritating substance allylisothiocyanate, is formed. Badami
et al. (2003) evaluated that leaves of Solanum
pseudocapsicum has antitumor activity. Maquart et al.
(1999) studied that triterpenes from Centella asiatica
stimulate extracellular matrix accumulation in rat
experimental.
CONCLUSION
Glycosides contain carbohydrate and a noncarbohydrate
component. Non carbohydrate components are called
aglycon. The carbohydrate component is attached by an
acetal linkage at carbon atom 1 to a noncarbohydrate
component. The carbohydrate component is called the
glycone. If the carbohydrate portion is glucose, the
compound is called glucosides. There are various types
of glycosides that have many functions in the body. Most
important glycosides are CG that is prescribed for
treatment of various cardiac ailments.
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