Metabolites are the intermediates and products of
metabolism. The term
metabolite is usually restricted to small
molecules. A
primary metabolite is directly involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. A
secondary metabolite is not directly involved in those processes, but usually has an important
ecological function. Examples include
antibiotics and
pigments.
The metabolome forms a large network of metabolic reactions, where outputs from one enzymatic chemical reaction are inputs to other chemical reactions. Such systems have been described as hypercycles.
See also
