A glucuronide, also known as glucuronoside, is any substance produced by linking glucuronic acid to another substance via a

glycosidic bond A glycosidic bond or glycosidic linkage is a type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another group, which may or may not be another carbohydrate. A glycosidic bond is formed between the hemiacetal or hemiketal group ...

. The glucuronides belong to the

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycoside ...

Glucuronidation Glucuronidation is often involved in drug metabolism of substances such as drugs, pollutants, bilirubin, androgens, estrogens, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, fatty acid derivatives, retinoids, and bile acids. These linkages involve gl ...

, the conversion of chemical compounds to glucuronides, is a method that animals use to assist in the excretion of toxic substances, drugs or other substances that cannot be used as an

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

source. Glucuronic acid is attached via a glycosidic bond to the substance, and the resulting glucuronide, which has a much higher water

solubility In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solub ...

than the original substance, is eventually excreted by the

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

s. Enzymes that cleave the glycosidic bond of a glucuronide are called

glucuronidase Glucuronidase may refer to several enzymes: * Alpha-glucuronidase * Beta-glucuronidase * Glycyrrhizinate beta-glucuronidase * Glucuronosyl-disulfoglucosamine glucuronidase In enzymology, a glucuronosyl-disulfoglucosamine glucuronidase () is an e ...

Examples

Miquelianin Miquelianin (quercetin 3-''O''-glucuronide) is a flavonol glucuronide, a type of phenolic compound present in wine, in species of St John's wort, like ''Hypericum hirsutum'', in ''Nelumbo nucifera'' (Indian lotus) or in green beans. It is also a ...

(

Quercetin Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...

3-O-glucuronide) *

Morphine-6-glucuronide Morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) is a major active metabolite of morphine. M6G is formed from morphine by the enzyme UGT2B7. It has analgesic effects more potent than morphine. M6G can accumulate to toxic levels in kidney failure. History of disco ...

* Scutellarein-7-glucuronide

References

Toxicology {{med-toxic-stub