opsonin

American  

[op-suh-nin] / ˈɒp sə nɪn /

noun

Immunology.

1. a constituent of normal or immune blood serum that makes invading bacteria more susceptible to the destructive action of the phagocytes.

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opsonin British  

/ ɒpˈsɒnɪk, ˈɒpsənɪn /

noun

1. a constituent of blood serum that renders invading bacteria more susceptible to ingestion by phagocytes in the serum

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Other Word Forms

• opsonic adjective
• opsonoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of opsonin

1900–05; < Latin opsōn ( ium ) victuals (< Greek opsōnía, derivative of opsōneîn to buy provisions) + -in ²

Example Sentences

A clathrin coating enhances phagocytosis, whereas opsonin reverses the process of phagocytosis.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Send a drop of the patient's blood to the laboratory at St. Anne's; and in fifteen minutes I'll give you his opsonin index in figures.

From The Doctor's Dilemma by Shaw, Bernard

The word opsonin is derived from a Greek root which means "to prepare the feast."

From The Pros and Cons of Vivisection by Richet, Charles

In the method for demonstrating opsonin about to be described, a comparison is made between the opsonic "power" of the pooled serum and the specific serum.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

By the time this preface is in print the kaleidoscope may have had another shake; and opsonin may have gone the way of phlogiston at the hands of its own restless discoverer.

From The Doctor's Dilemma: Preface on Doctors by Shaw, Bernard