What does arabinoside mean?
An arabinoside is a glycoside whose sugar component is arabinose, a five-carbon sugar found widely in plants. In such compounds, the arabinose unit is chemically bonded to another molecule — often an alcohol, a phenol, or a nitrogenous base — forming structures common in plant tissues and natural products. The term belongs chiefly to the vocabulary of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and pharmacology, where it describes both naturally occurring compounds and laboratory-synthesized ones. Its most famous application is medicinal: cytosine arabinoside, better known as cytarabine, replaces the ribose of a normal nucleoside with arabinose, producing a nucleoside analogue that interferes with DNA synthesis and serves as a mainstay treatment for acute leukemias. Because arabinose differs from ribose only in the spatial arrangement of one hydroxyl group, arabinosides illustrate how subtle changes in molecular geometry can dramatically alter biological activity, making the word a small but significant fixture of chemical nomenclature.
nounA glycoside derived from the sugar arabinose, in which an arabinose molecule is bonded to another compound such as an alcohol or a nitrogenous base.
- Any glycoside in which the sugar component is arabinose.
- Specifically, a nucleoside analogue containing arabinose instead of ribose or deoxyribose, such as those used in antiviral and anticancer drugs.
"The chemist isolated an arabinoside from the plant extract and confirmed its structure by nuclear magnetic resonance."
"Cytosine arabinoside remains a cornerstone of induction therapy for acute myeloid leukemia."
"The researchers hydrolyzed the arabinoside to release free arabinose and the aglycone."
Standard English plural, used when referring to multiple distinct arabinoside compounds.
"Several arabinosides were screened for antiviral activity."
One of the most important chemotherapy drugs ever made — cytarabine — is a cytosine arabinoside, a synthetic twist on this natural sugar compound that has saved countless lives from leukemia.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arabinoside
The word derives from arabinose, the sugar at its core, which itself takes its name from gum arabic, the substance from which the sugar was first obtained; 'gum arabic' ultimately references Arabia as a source of the gum. The '-oside' element follows the standard chemical suffix for glycosides, coined in nineteenth-century chemistry to denote sugars combined with other compounds. Cognate terms include riboside, glucoside, and nucleoside, all built on the same naming pattern.
How arabinoside is actually used
A technical term used almost exclusively in biochemistry, organic chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine; it rarely appears outside scientific literature. In medical contexts, 'cytosine arabinoside' refers specifically to the chemotherapy drug also known as cytarabine.
Easily confused with arabinoside
A riboside is a glycoside of the sugar ribose, whereas an arabinoside is a glycoside of arabinose, its stereoisomer.