Permeability of glycosides through human erythrocyte membrane

The permeability of glycosides (arbutin, salicin, glycyrritin, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-lactopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-maltopyranoside) and their aglycons through human erythrocyte membrane was investigated. The glycosides permeated slowly, compared with their aglycons. Glycoside having disaccharide did not permeate the erythrocyte membrane. This suggested that the introduction of disaccharide to a drug significantly depresses the permeability of glycoside through erythrocyte membrane. The drug entrapped in erythrocytes was not released into the outer medium.