metabolite

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noun me·tab·o·lite \-ˌlīt\

Definition of metabolite

1 : a product of metabolism
2 : a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process

Recent Examples of metabolite from the Web

When the liver or kidneys fail, toxic electrolytes and metabolites build up in the body and cloud awareness.

— sara manning peskin, m.d., New York Times, "The Gentler Symptoms of Dying," 11 July 2017
The replicators also verified that levels of the metabolite in leukemia cells indicate whether a cancer patient has the IDH mutations.

— jocelyn kaiser, Science | AAAS, "Cancer studies pass reproducibility test," 27 June 2017
Burrell and a passenger both denied being the driver on the scene, police said, but test results later showed Burrell's blood-alcohol concentration level to be 0.08 percent, and THC metabolites — a substance in marijuana — in his system.

— christy gutowski, chicagotribune.com, "Old DUI case finally concludes after a decade of languishing in Cook County," 27 June 2017
In one of the new studies, a contract lab confirmed a 2010 report in Cancer Cell that mutations in genes called IDH1 and IDH2, found in some leukemias and brain cancers, cause cells to produce a metabolite that spurs cancer growth.

— jocelyn kaiser, Science | AAAS, "Cancer studies pass reproducibility test," 27 June 2017
Desethylene ciprofloxacin, a metabolite of ciprofloxacin, a medically important antibiotic for humans, was found three times, according to the lawsuit.

— deena shanker, Bloomberg.com, "There Could Be Ketamine In Your ‘Natural’ Chicken," 22 June 2017
In their new laboratory research, Monteggia and her colleagues studied what happens when a metabolite of ketamine is applied to a certain part of the brain called the NMDA receptor, which plays a role in many brain functions.

— mandy oaklander, Time, "There's More Proof That Ketamine Works for Depression," 21 June 2017
The company experimented with tests that analyzed DNA, RNA, metabolites and other biomarkers to determine which ones correlated with autism.

— jessica firger, Newsweek, "How to Detect Autism: A Blood Test Could One Day Provide Early Diagnosis," 10 June 2017
Moreover, the blocking antibodies must be made quickly enough and in large enough quantities to prevent heroin and its metabolites from reaching the brain and inducing a high.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Heroin vaccine works in monkeys, being readied for human testing," 10 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metabolite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of metabolite

1877

Medical Dictionary

metabolite

play

noun me·tab·o·lite \-ˌlīt\

Medical Definition of metabolite

1: a product of metabolism:a: a metabolic waste usually more or less toxic to the organism producing it : excretionb: a product of one metabolic process that is essential to another such process in the same organismc: a metabolic waste of one organism that is markedly toxic to another : antibiotic
2: a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process