what does metabolite mean?

it seems that there's "metabolite 1" and "metabolite 2" . what's the difference?
Answers:
A metabolite is any molecule that is produced in a metabolic pathway carried out in living cells, starting with a particular substrate and driven by some number of enzymes essential to completion of the pathway. For example, the complete metabolism of the glucose molecule is driven by a large number of critical enzymes and coenzymes that produce a number of metabolites in the pathway leading to the end products, water, carbon dioxide, and ATP (the cell's chemical "money").When you speak of metabolite 1 and metabolite 2 you are probably referring to primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are molecules that are essential to the normal growth, development, and reproduction of the organism. Secondary metabolites may also have important functions, but are not necessarily essential. Examples of secondary metabolites are pigment molecules in plants and animals and the substances produced by various fungi that act as antibiotics.All of the biochemical reactions that take place in living cells make up the cell's metabolism. In some pathways, described as catabolic, large molecules are subdivided into smaller ones, usually with the release of energy stored in the large molecule (e.g. glucose). In other pathways, called anabolic, smaller molecules are combined to form larger ones (e.g. the formation of functional proteins from a directed sequence of their constituent amino acids.All chemicals that enter the human body as drugs or environmental contaminants are by definition not strictly necessary for the normal function of the body. Such chemicals may have direct effects on the body's normal physiology without any metabolic conversion. The most familiar example of such a chemical might be ethanol, the effects of which are known to anyone who's ever taken a drink. Other drugs and chemicals may also have direct active effects. On the other hand, many drugs and chemicals must be converted into an active form before they can have a physiological effect. For example, the carcinogen vinyl chloride must be converted into chloroethylene oxide and chloroacetaldehyde, which have the capacity to bind to and alter nuclear DNA, for the carcinogenic effect to occur.Conversion of "foreign" parent molecules into active or inactive metabolites takes place in primarily in the liver. Liver cells contain a vast array of enzyme systems which have apparently evolved with our species to protect us from the harmful effects of potentially toxic chemicals in our food and in the general environment. The primary effect of these enzyme systems, such as the cytochrome P450 system, is to convert potentially toxic chemicals into relatively harmless metabolites, which are then frequently conjugated with another molecule, such as glucuronic acid, making it easier for the body to excrete the metabolites via the urine. Again, sometimes the metabolites produced by one of these enzyme systems may be more toxic than the parent molecule; or the parent molecule given as a medication does not become active until it has been processed by a liver enzyme system. Ethanol is another example here; one of its metabolites, acetaldehyde, is more toxic than the parent alcohol molecule. Usually acetaldehyde is rapidly converted to carbon dioxide in water; many East Asian people are deficient in the enzymes needed to process acetaldehyde, and so have a much more limited tolerance for alcohol than non-Asians.One final note: it is usually the products of metabolism of many drugs that may be detected in a person's urine. This is true for most illicit drugs and also for tobacco. Each drug produces a characteristic metabolite or metabolites that are present in the urine for some period of time after ingestion of the drug.

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Metabolites are the intermediary products of any drug in its catabolic cascade. Mostly, these metabolites are unstable. If a metabolite exhibits the effect of the drug, it is called an active metabolite and passive, if it does not. Usually, the metabolite 1 is the first intermediary product and the metabolite 2 is the second. Did this clear your doubt? A feedback on this reply is welcome.

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Any substance produced by metabolism or by a metabolic process

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