TOMATINE

Tomatine (sometimes called tomatin or lycopersicin) is a glycoalkaloid, found in the stems and leaves of tomato plants, and in the fruits at much lower concentrations. It has fungicidal, antimicrobial, and insecticidal properties. Chemically pure tomatine is a white crystalline solid at standard temperature and pressure. Tomatine, as well as the closely related aglycon (or aglycone) derivative tomatidine have been shown to have multiple health benefits.
Tomatine is a steroid alkaloid that is tomatidine in which the hydroxy group at position 3 is linked to lycotetraose, a tetrasaccharide composed of two units of D-glucose, one unit of D-xylose, and one unit of D-galactose. It has a role as an immunological adjuvant, a phytotoxin and an antifungal agent. It is a steroid alkaloid, a tetrasaccharide derivative, an alkaloid antibiotic and a glycoside. It derives from a tomatidine.

The possible risks of tomatine for humans have not been formally studied, so no NOAEL can be deduced. The toxicity of tomatine has only been studied on laboratory animals. The symptoms of acute tomatine poisoning in animals are similar to the symptoms of poisoning by solanine, a potato glycoalkaloid. These symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, drowsiness, confusion, weakness, and depression. Generally, tomatine is regarded to cause less toxic effect to mammals than other alkaloids such as solanine. The amount of tomatine absorbed by the human body as well as the possible metabolism is unknown. There is no evidence that consumption of tomatoes causes acute toxic or genotoxic effects.