metabolite
metabolic byproduct
[C] Countable
pl: metabolites
This term is used primarily in biochemistry and pharmacology to track the chemical journey of a substance through a biological system. It focuses on the result of a transformation, shifting the attention from the original "parent" drug or nutrient to the new entity created by enzymatic reactions.
In a clinical setting, measuring a metabolite is often more useful than measuring the original substance because metabolites can stay in the system longer or be the actual agents that cause a biological effect, such as toxicity or healing.
Used to identify specific chemical compounds produced during digestion or drug processing, such as measuring a specific metabolite in a urine sample.
Meanings
Examples
The liver processes the drug into an inactive metabolite.
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Related Words
metabolismenzymesubstratecatalystprecursorproductintermediatebiochemistrybiosynthesiscatabolismanabolismliverkidneybileurinebloodplasmadrugpharmaceuticalpharmacokineticspharmacodynamicstoxicitydetoxificationmetabolizeoxidationreductionhydrolysisphosphorylationglucosepyruvatelactatecitratemalateoxaloacetateamino acidproteinlipidsteroidhormonemoleculecompoundioncellcytoplasmmitochondriaribosomepathwaycyclehomeostasisexcretionabsorptiondistributionclearancehalf lifebioavailabilitymetabolicorganicchemicalreactionsynthesisdegradationmetabolomicsbiomarkerassaychromatographyspectrometryconcentrationfluxequilibriumenergycalorienutrientvitaminmineralcofactorcoenzyme