How to Use alkaloid in a Sentence

alkaloid

noun
Definition of alkaloidnext
  • All parts of this plant are toxic because of three tropane alkaloids.
    — oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019
  • The plant contains toxic tropane alkaloids, but the fruit is edible, while the rest of the plant is toxic to the digestive system.
    — Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The first of these alkaloids, isolated by a German chemist in the early 1800s, was none other than morphine.
    — Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian, 6 Sep. 2017
  • Chemical compounds in the fire ant's venom, piperidine alkaloids, cause the pustule to form over a few hours.
    — Amanda Gardner, Health, 27 May 2024
  • All parts of the plant, especially the seeds and tubers, contain colchicine, a toxic alkaloid.
    — Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
  • The leaves are produced by a unique drying process, which alters their color and alkaloid content.
    — Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
  • All parts of this plant contain toxic alkaloids that can be fatal if ingested in any amount.
    — Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2023
  • The seeds, flowers, leaves and roots of the plant contain toxic alkaloids that can lead to respiratory failure and death.
    — Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2023
  • The active drug in kratom is an alkaloid called mitragynine.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • That idea was reinforced in the late 1930s with the publication of a paper on the use of ergotamine tartrate, an alkaloid that was known to constrict blood vessels.
    — David Noonan, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2015
  • The malaria drug chloroquine was developed from quinine, an alkaloid found in the bark of the cinchona tree, which grows in the tropical highlands of South America.
    — Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2020
  • In fact, the blue frog is coated in poisonous alkaloids, which paralyze predators after a single taste.
    — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2023
  • The main kind of Kratom alkaloid, mitragynine, is a partial agonist for the mu-opioid signals [1].
    — Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024
  • The death cap mushroom, the cause of the 14 Bay Area cases in December, has toxic alkaloids that damage cells by halting protein synthesis.
    — Denis Cuff, The Mercury News, 7 June 2017
  • Chicory’s flavor comes from alkaloids (the same plant chemical that makes caffeine taste bitter).
    — Christine Buckley, Bon Appetit, 24 Aug. 2017
  • Chicory’s flavor comes from alkaloids (the same plant chemical that makes caffeine taste bitter).
    — Christine Buckley, Bon Appetit, 24 Aug. 2017
  • Even small amounts of the plant can lead to death due to highly toxic piperidine alkaloid compounds that cause respiratory failure.
    — Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 30 June 2021
  • The one common attribute of black pepper and chili pepper concerns their bioactive alkaloids, piperine in the case of black pepper and capsaicin — a constituent of chili powder and cayenne pepper — in the case of chili peppers.
    — Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
  • Green Malay Kratom has a high alkaloid content that gives it powerful analgesic properties.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The same was done for the remains of Mario, and this time the experts did find evidence of lethal amounts of morphine and delphinine (two toxic plant alkaloids), as well as an opium alkaloid called narceine in the viscera and urine.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2022
  • Kratom lovers turn to Gold Bali for its high alkaloid content and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Potency refers to how much of the active alkaloid is present in the product; higher levels may offer more pronounced effects than lower levels.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • This kratom strain has become well-known all over the world because of its unique combination of alkaloids, which enhances its potency and effectiveness.
    — Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024
  • Sandoz scientists isolated a dozen ergot alkaloids in the hope of finding a few that might prove therapeutic.
    — Ellen Ruppel Shell, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2018
  • The hair contained psychoactive alkaloids, which are found naturally in some plants and can induce altered states of consciousness.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2023
  • The next step for Odom, according to Zapolin, was to take a trip to Mexico to do ibogaine, a powerful alkaloid derived from the root of a shrub native to Gabon that has been shown to help interrupt opioid dependence.
    — Amanda Siebert, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The cocaine alkaloid, the main active ingredient in coca leaves, was only isolated and synthesized as a drug in the 19th century.
    — National Geographic, 26 June 2018
  • Wiener also agreed this summer to cut ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid found in the iboga shrub, from the decriminalization portion of SB 58 and instead added it to the list of therapeutics to be studied.
    — Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Finally, there are a number of chemical compounds in cocoa, most notably the flavanols, caffeine, and a bitter alkaloid called theobromine.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Oct. 2018
  • The user inhales nicotine, an addictive alkaloid present in tobacco, and exhales aerosol.
    — Robert Langreth, Bloomberg.com, 23 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alkaloid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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