amylin

noun

am·​y·​lin ˈa-mə-lən How to pronounce amylin (audio)
: a pancreatic polypeptide hormone that is secreted with insulin by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans, that is a major component of the amyloid deposits found outside beta cells in those affected with type 2 diabetes, and that inhibits the glucose synthesis stimulated by insulin in skeletal muscles
Released by the same pancreatic cells that secrete insulin, amylin modulates the effects of insulin on other cells, but efforts to identify a single protein that serves as its receptor have failed.Terry Kenakin, Scientific American
Pramlintide is an analogue of the islet cell-secreted hormone amylin that acts through the brainstem to reduce food intake and cause weight loss.Jonathan Q. Purnell, ACP Medicine

called also islet amyloid polypeptide

Dictionary Entries Near amylin

Cite this Entry

“Amylin.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/amylin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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