Aglycon

Aglycone: what is it and why is it needed?

Aglycone is a chemical term that refers to the part of a molecule that remains after another group has been cleaved from it. Typically, an aglycone is the part of the molecule that remains after the cleavage of the glucosidic group. Glucosides, in turn, are compounds consisting of glucose and another group associated with it.

Aglycone is of great importance in biochemistry and pharmacology, as it has biological activity and can have a therapeutic effect on the body. For example, many drugs are glucosides, and when they are metabolized in the body, the glucoside group is removed, resulting in the formation of an active aglycone.

In addition, aglycone is often used as a marker for the identification and quantification of various compounds. For example, flavonoids, which are important biologically active compounds and are widely distributed in the plant world, can act as an aglycone.

The term "aglycone" may also appear under other names such as "aglucone" or "genin". However, they all mean the same thing - the part of the molecule that remains after the cleavage of the glucoside group.

In conclusion, aglycone is an important term in biochemistry and pharmacology, which refers to a part of a molecule that has biological activity and is capable of exerting a therapeutic effect on the body. The study of aglycone and its properties is of great importance for the development of medicine and pharmacology, as well as for understanding biological processes in the body.

Aglycones are molecules consisting of a sugar (glucose residue) and an aglycone (protein residue). There are two main groups of natural aglycones in plant raw materials: flavonoids and alkaloids. Many substances have medicinal properties due to the presence of glycosides and glycosidic bonds in their composition. Aglycones form the core of active pharmaceutical compounds - glycosides, thioglycosides, glycopeptides and their analogues. Aglycone determines the pharmacological properties of hormonal drugs, since plant hormones are called glycosinolates. Due to complex intermolecular bonds in tissues, the base molecule glycosinolate, a hormone precursor, is released. In these cases, insulin is an example of incomplete glycosylation. Opiates are also complex glycosides, the breakdown of which releases the constituent parts of the molecule - the alkaloid tramadol.