thromboplastin

[ throm-buh-plas-tin ]

noun

1. Biochemistry. a lipoprotein in the blood that converts prothrombin to thrombin.
2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this substance, obtained from the brains of cattle, used chiefly as a local hemostatic and as a laboratory reagent in blood prothrombin tests.

thromboplastin

/ ˌθrɒmbəʊˈplæstɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of substances that are liberated from damaged blood platelets and other tissues and convert prothrombin to thrombin Also calledthrombokinase

Word History and Origins

Origin of thromboplastin¹

First recorded in 1910–15; thrombo- + -plast + -in ²

Example Sentences

Activated clotting or activated partial thromboplastin time assays are currently used to calculate heparin doses, but these are time-consuming, expensive and can be unreliable.

From Scientific American

Head trauma can cause blood clots, Narayan said, because the injury triggers the production of thromboplastin, a blood protein that causes the blood to clot.

From Reuters