putrescine

British  

/ pjuːˈtrɛsiːn, -ɪn /

noun

1. a colourless crystalline amine produced by decaying animal matter; 1,4-diaminobutane. Formula: H 2 N(CH 2 ) 4 NH 2

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Etymology

Origin of putrescine

C20: from Latin putrescere + _-ine ²

Example Sentences

Not everyone wants to sniff the compounds known as putrescine and cadaverine — this particular sample isn’t as awful as you might think — but many eagerly take part in the final display.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2023

Medina and colleagues traced the conversion of arginine to spermidine by this pathway, and found that cells induced to undergo apoptosis increased their synthesis of spermidine and its precursor, the molecule putrescine, before dying.

From Nature • Mar. 17, 2020

The polyamines putrescine and cadaverine, which are the products of protein breakdown after animal death, are the source of the pungent smell of decaying meat.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Divide the flowers into two groups, and while wearing eye protection and gloves, spray one group with a solution of either putrescine or cadaverine.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Possible scents include two byproducts of decomposition: putrescine and cadaverine.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2012