Tomatine (Steroidal Glycoalkaloid · Antifungal · Cholesterol Binding · Tomatidine Precursor)
| Compound | Tomatine (α-Tomatine) |
| Chemical class | Alkaloid — Steroidal Glycoalkaloid (Tomatidine + lycotetraosyl tetrasaccharide) |
| CAS | 17406-45-0 |
| Primary source | Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) — unripe fruit, leaves, roots (decreases dramatically on ripening) |
| Key applications | Antifungal, antiprotozoal, cholesterol binding, adjuvant activity, antiproliferative (preclinical) |
| Claim strength | Moderate |
| Typical form | Green tomato extract; tomatidine (aglycone) isolate; food co-component in unripe tomato preparations |
| Buy from Herbuno |
Name origin: From Solanum lycopersicum (tomato, formerly Lycopersicum esculentum). Tomatine is the primary steroidal glycoalkaloid of tomato, structurally analogous to solanine/chaconine (sharing the Solanaceae steroidal alkaloid biosynthetic pathway) but with tomatidine as the aglycone (not solanidine) and a tetrasaccharide chain. Traditional use: Unripe green tomatoes have been used in traditional preparations across South American, Mediterranean, and South Asian cuisines — green tomato chutney and fried green tomatoes are well-established food preparations. However, the high tomatine content of unripe tomatoes was not specifically recognised as a pharmacologically active constituent in traditional contexts. Research trajectory: Tomatine has attracted research interest distinct from its Solanaceae cousins solanine and chaconine: (1) it has a much more favourable safety profile — tomatine binds cholesterol in the GI tract, reducing its own absorption; (2) it has documented antifungal, antiprotozoal (Leishmania, Plasmodium), and antiproliferative activity; (3) it has been investigated as a vaccine adjuvant (enhancing immune response); (4) tomatidine (the aglycone) has attracted interest for muscle-building and anti-obesity applications. Ripe red tomatoes contain only trace tomatine — the vast majority is biosynthetically converted to other steroids during ripening. Commercial source: Tomato Liquid Extract and Lycopene-standardised Tomato Extract from Herbuno co-deliver tomatine as a constituent of green/less ripe tomato fractions. See sourcing options below.
Evidence for Tomatine Applications
Antifungal: Tomatine has potent antifungal activity (particularly against Fusarium species, a major plant pathogen) via membrane disruption — tomatine complexes with β-1,3-glucan and ergosterol in fungal cell walls, physically disrupting the membrane. This is a relevant natural plant defence mechanism and has attracted interest for agricultural and food preservation applications. Claim strength: Moderate.
Cholesterol binding and reduced self-absorption: Tomatine forms insoluble complexes with cholesterol in the GI tract (similar to saponins and plant sterols). This cholesterol sequestration both reduces tomatine’s own absorption (reducing toxicity) and may contribute modest cholesterol-lowering activity — the same mechanism as dietary plant sterols. Claim strength: Moderate (mechanism established; human clinical data for tomatine specifically are limited).
Adjuvant activity — immune enhancement: Tomatine has been investigated as a vaccine adjuvant — enhancing both humoral (antibody) and cellular immune responses to co-administered antigens in animal models. This adjuvant activity is pharmacologically interesting and mechanistically distinct from other glycoalkaloid activities. Claim strength: Moderate (animal studies; no human vaccine adjuvant data).
Tomatidine (aglycone) — muscle health: Tomatidine (the steroidal aglycone from tomatine hydrolysis) has attracted research for skeletal muscle atrophy prevention — inhibiting muscle atrophy signalling pathways (ATF4 pathway) and promoting protein synthesis. Animal studies show tomatidine prevents age-related muscle loss and improves body composition. Claim strength: Moderate (animal data; tomatidine not tomatine).
Browse Standardised Extract Powders →
Dosage & Formulator Specification
No established human supplement dose for isolated tomatine. Dietary tomatine exposure from green tomato preparations: typically 2–10 mg tomatine per 100 g unripe tomato. Ripe red tomatoes contain <5 mg/kg tomatine. The cholesterol-binding mechanism self-limits tomatine absorption — bioavailability from green tomato consumption is estimated at approximately 25–35% of ingested tomatine. Tomato extract from Herbuno is standardised to lycopene — tomatine content varies by ripeness of source material; request specific tomatine quantification by HPLC if this is a target compound. For tomatidine (aglycone) applications, tomatine hydrolysis with acid or β-glucosidase releases the free aglycone.
Frequently Asked Questions — Tomatine
Is tomatine safe compared to solanine?
Tomatine has a significantly more favourable safety profile than solanine/chaconine. The key difference: tomatine binds cholesterol in the GI tract, which reduces its own absorption and limits systemic exposure. The LD50 of tomatine is approximately 500 mg/kg in mice — compared to approximately 45 mg/kg for solanine. This ~10× greater safety margin, combined with reduced GI absorption, means tomatine from dietary green tomato consumption poses minimal toxicity risk for healthy adults.
Why do ripe tomatoes have very low tomatine?
During tomato ripening, tomatine undergoes enzymatic metabolism — primarily by the enzyme GAME31/GAME32 (glycoalkaloid metabolism) converting tomatine to tomatidine and then hydroxylating and glycosylating the aglycone to form non-toxic esculeosides and other steroidal glycosides. This tomatine breakdown is part of the controlled ripening programme — ripe red tomatoes retain essentially no tomatine while green tomatoes have tomatine as their primary steroidal alkaloid. Lycopene synthesis and tomatine degradation are parallel aspects of the tomato ripening process.
Can tomatidine be used as a muscle supplement?
Tomatidine (the tomatine aglycone) has shown promising anti-atrophy and muscle-building effects in animal studies — inhibiting the ATF4 pathway that drives muscle protein degradation during fasting and ageing. These effects have attracted attention for sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) supplement positioning. Human clinical data for tomatidine specifically are not yet available. The mechanistic data are compelling and this represents an emerging supplement application currently in early-stage development.
Is green tomato extract appropriate for supplement use?
Green tomato preparations (green tomato extract, unripe tomato powder) are appropriate for supplement use given tomatine’s favourable safety profile and documented bioactivity. The primary commercial value of green tomato extract is as a source of tomatine and tomatidine precursor, alongside chlorogenic acid and other polyphenols present in green tomatoes. Specify tomatine content by HPLC and confirm source ripeness stage on CoA.
Related compounds: Solanine, Chaconine, Solasodine, Conessine
Claim-strength scale – High = multiple human RCTs; Moderate = limited trials or strong preclinical convergence; Emerging = early-stage lab or animal data.
← HerbIQ Compound Index · HerbIQ P02: Extraction · HerbIQ P03: Delivery