Solanine

Solanine is a toxic steroidal glycoalkaloid found in nightshade plants, especially potatoes. It is concentrated in green or sprouting tissues and can cause poisoning when consumed in sufficient amounts.

Glycoalkaloid: A nitrogen-containing plant compound in which sugar groups are attached to an alkaloid structure. Solanine belongs to this chemical family, whose sugar groups influence its biological activity.
Potato: A starchy tuber cultivated worldwide as a staple food and member of the nightshade family. Potatoes are the principal dietary source of solanine and related glycoalkaloids.
Chaconine: A toxic steroidal glycoalkaloid found in potatoes, often occurring alongside α-solanine. It is a major potato glycoalkaloid that contributes to toxicity alongside solanine.
Toxicology: The study of harmful effects caused by chemicals and other agents in living organisms. Solanine toxicity is assessed through exposure, biological effects, and risk.
Solanidine: The steroidal alkaloid formed when the sugar groups are removed from α-solanine. Its steroidal structure is the core left after solanine’s sugars are cleaved.
Potato greening: The development of green pigmentation in potato skin after exposure to light. Greening signals light exposure that can accompany increased glycoalkaloid concentrations.
Tomatine: A steroidal glycoalkaloid found chiefly in tomato plants, especially unripe fruit and foliage. It is a related nightshade glycoalkaloid, but is associated primarily with tomatoes rather than potatoes.
Solanine poisoning: Illness caused by consuming a sufficiently large dose of solanine or related potato glycoalkaloids. Reported cases help characterize symptoms, exposure levels, and the limits of current evidence.
Acetylcholinesterase: An enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at nerve synapses. Solanine exposure has been associated with inhibition of this enzyme, though its toxicity is not fully explained by that mechanism.
Potato sprouting: The growth of shoots from dormant eyes on a potato tuber. Sprouts and nearby tissues can contain elevated glycoalkaloid levels.

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