cytolysin

[ sahy-tol-uh-sin, sahyt-l-ahy-sin ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. any substance that produces cytolysis.

cytolysin

/ saɪˈtɒlɪsɪn /

noun

1. a substance that can partially or completely destroy animal cells

Word History and Origins

Origin of cytolysin¹

First recorded in 1900–05; cytolys(is) + -in ¹

Example Sentences

Instead, the researchers identified a cell-destroying toxin called cytolysin produced by select strains of E. faecalis as the likely reason that some patients with alcoholic liver disease had severe symptoms.

From Science Magazine

The response to cytolysin was the same whether or not the mice had received a high-alcohol diet.

From Nature

When mice that harbored the deadly bacteria were treated with the phages, they had less liver injury, less inflammation, and less cytolysin in their livers than animals treated with control phages.

From Science Magazine

To understand the disease-causing mechanisms, the authors isolated liver cells from the animals, and found that cell death in response to cytolysin exposure was dose-dependent.

From Nature