CLASSIFICATION GLYCOSIDES

2 CLASSIFICATION

In reality, the most befitting classification of glycosides is rather a hard-nut-to-crack. In case, the classification is to be governed by the presence of sugar moiety, a good number of rare sugars are involved, if the aglycone function forms the basis of classification, one may come across groups from probably all major categories of plant constituents identified and reported. Of course, a therapeutic classification offers not only a positive edge over the stated classification but also affords an excellent means from a pharmaceutic viewpoint, but it grossly lacks a host of glycosides which are of great pharmacognostic interest.

The most acceptable classification of glycosides is based on the chemical nature of the aglycone moiety present in them, namely:

(i) Anthraceneglycosides

(ii) Phenol glycosides

(iii) Steroid glycosides

(iv) Flavonoidglycosides

(v) Coumarin andFuranocoumarin glycosides

(vi) Cyonogeneticglycosides

(vii) Thioglycosides

(viii) Saponinglycosides

(ix) Aldehyde glycosides

(x) Bitter glycosides

(xi) Miscellaneousglycosides

All these different categories of glycosides would be discussed individually with appropriate examples in the sections that follows:

Source: Pharmacognosy And Pharmacobiotechnology By Ashutosh Kar