Salidroside (rhodioloside) is a

glucoside A glucoside is a glycoside that is derived from glucose. Glucosides are common in plants, but rare in animals. Glucose is produced when a glucoside is hydrolysed by purely chemical means, or decomposed by fermentation or enzymes. The name was o ...

tyrosol Tyrosol is an organic compound with the formula . Classified as a phenylethanoid, i.e. a derivative of phenethyl alcohol, It is found in a variety of natural sources. The compound is colorless solid. The principal source in the human diet is olive ...

found in the plant '' Rhodiola rosea''. It has been studied, along with rosavin, as one of the potential compounds responsible for the putative

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...

and anxiolytic actions of this plant. Salidroside may be more active than rosavin, even though many commercially marketed ''Rhodiola rosea'' extracts are standardized for rosavin content rather than salidroside.

Bioactivities

Salidroside was shown to improve glucose homeostasis and alleviate diabetic retinopathy in obese mice. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of salidroside have also been reported.

Biosynthesis

The salidroside biosynthetic pathway in '' Rhodiola rosea'' was described in 2018. Rhodiola contains a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent

4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde 4-Hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, also known as ''p''-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, is a natural product with the formula HOC6H4CH2CHO. It is a derivative of phenylacetaldehyde and occurs as a white solid at room temperature. Synthesis 4-Hydroxyphenyla ...

(4-HPAA) synthase that converts tyrosine to 4-HPAA, which is further reduced to

by 4-HPAA reductase. Rhodiola contains a regio-selective tyrosol:UDP-glucose 8-O-glucosyltransferase that glycosylates tyrosol to produce salidroside. Using the patented technology resulted from this study, DoubleRainbow Biosciences Inc. announced in July, 2022 that it has successfully produced salidroside at scale using a bioengineered microbial strain.

References

Phenol glucosides Phenylethanoids {{phenol-stub