xenobiotic

[ zen-uh-bahy-ot-ik, -bee-, zee-nuh- ]

noun

1. a chemical or substance that is foreign to an organism or biological system.

Word History and Origins

Origin of xenobiotic¹

First recorded in 1915–20; xeno- + biotic

Example Sentences

Those results, she said, suggest that the gut microbiota in normal-weight children may be more resilient when exposed to xenobiotic substances like BPA.

From Science Daily

The findings back earlier studies suggesting that PAHs may disturb the inflammatory response and xenobiotic metabolism in human olfactory mucosa cells, and that ultrafine particles may mediate adverse effects to the brain via the olfactory pathway.

From Science Daily

Exposure to emissions from both renewable and fossil diesel significantly altered the expression of genes associated with inflammatory response, xenobiotic metabolism, olfactory signalling and olfactory mucosa integrity.

From Science Daily

His team contends that smokers and the many Indians who live with bad air pollution might overexpress a variation of an enzyme, CY1P1A1, that “detoxifies” the lungs and destroys the virus through a previously described phenomenon, “xenobiotic metabolism.”

From Science Magazine

Symbiotic bacterial metabolites regulate gastrointestinal barrier function via the xenobiotic sensor PXR and Toll-like receptor 4.

From Nature