What is "tomatine"

n. A toxic glycoalkaloid found in the stems and leaves of tomato plants, which has fungicidal properties.

Tomatine is a glycoalkaloid found in the stems and leaves of tomato plants, which has fungicidal properties. Chemically pure tomatine is a white crystalline solid at standard temperature and pressure. Tomatine as well as the a-glycone derivative Tomatidine have been shown to have multiple health benefits. Dietary supplementation with ∼0.04% tomatidine for 10 weeks reduces plasma cholesterol and atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice without evidence of toxicity. Moreover, tomatidine is a natural small molecule inhibitor of skeletal muscle atrophy and potential therapeutic agent for aging-associated sarcopenia reducing weakness and atrophy in aged skeletal muscle. Tomatine has antimicrobial properties against certain classes of microbes although some microbes produce an enzyme called tomatinase which can degrade tomatine, rendering it ineffective as an antimicrobial.