glykanoiden

Glykanoiden is a term found in some Scandinavian-language sources describing a class of carbohydrate-containing natural products. In those usages, glykanoiden refers to compounds in which one or more sugar units are covalently linked to non-sugar moieties (aglycones) by glycosidic bonds. The term is not widely used in English-language biochemistry; in modern terminology these substances are generally called glycosides or glycoconjugates, depending on the degree of linkage and the attached aglycone.

Structure and variation: The core motif is a glycone (sugar) attached to an aglycone. Linkages are typically O-glycosidic; the sugar units are often glucose, rhamnose, or galactose, but a wide range exists. A glykanoid classification is not a formal taxonomy in current databases; instead glycosides are categorized by sugar and aglycone type.

Occurrence and biosynthesis: Glykanoiden occur in plants and some microorganisms; biosynthesis involves glycosyltransferases that transfer sugar residues to aglycones. This glycosylation affects solubility, stability, and biological activity.

Functions and relevance: They play roles in defense against herbivores and pathogens, storage forms, and signaling. In pharmacology, masking of bioactive aglycones by sugar moieties influences absorption and metabolism.

History and terminology: The name appears in older pharmacognosy and botany literature; contemporary English-language science prefers glycoside or glycoconjugate terminology, with glykanoiden treated as a regional synonym or historical usage.

See also: glycosides, glycoconjugates, glycosyltransferases.