SINCE 1828
cytokine
noun
cy·to·kine
| \ ˈsī-tə-ˌkīn
\
\
Definition of cytokine
: any of a class of immunoregulatory proteins (such as interleukin or interferon) that are secreted by cells especially of the immune system
Examples of cytokine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Successful repair of damaged skin, and collagen synthesis, have been shown to require the involvement of growth factors and cytokines. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, "The Truth About Growth Factors in Skin Care and Why They're Controversial," 2 Aug. 2018 Perhaps the cytokine that testosterone induces mast cells to make, interleukin-33, might one day join them. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Testosterone may protect men from autoimmune diseases," 2 Feb. 2018 Now Like a contagion, senescent cells seem to pass on their accelerated aging abilities to healthy cells by releasing a number of factors, including inflammation-producing cytokines that can cause tissues like muscle to deteriorate. — Alice Park, Time, "How Scientists Are Testing Cancer Drugs to Slow Down Aging," 9 July 2018 The researchers injected some of the mice with the cytokines interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor. — Tim Hornyak, Scientific American, "Could Future Nerve Implants Detect and Monitor Illness?," 10 May 2018 One of the things that happens is that Interleukin-1, an inflammatory type of cytokine, is activated. — Laura Haynes, Washington Post, "How the flu hijacks your body to make you feel so wretched," 17 Feb. 2018 One of the things that happens is that Interleukin-1, an inflammatory type of cytokine, is activated. — Laura Haynes, Newsweek, "Here's How The Flu Attacks Your Body—And Why It's So Painful," 17 Feb. 2018 Aside from their tuft, these cells are known for making IL-25, a cytokine that coordinates the immune response to tapeworms and other parasites. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "We’ve found the cells norovirus targets—we just don’t know what they do," 14 Apr. 2018 Postolache's group has also explored cytokines that may be involved in triggering fatigue, hypothesizing that the allergic reaction is the direct biological cause of low mood. — Elizabeth Landau, CNN, "Sad in the spring? Allergy-mood link is real," 23 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cytokine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cytokine
cytokine
noun
cy·to·kine
| \ ˈsīt-ə-ˌkīn
\
\
Medical Definition of cytokine
: any of a class of immunoregulatory proteins (as interleukin, tumor necrosis factor, and interferon) that are secreted by cells especially of the immune system
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