interleukin 1

[ in-ter-loo-kin ]

noun

, Immunology.

1. any of several proteins released from certain cells, especially macrophages, and having various effects on the activity of other cells, as promoting inflammation or enhancing T-cell proliferation. : IL-1

Word History and Origins

Origin of interleukin 1¹

1979; inter- + leuk(ocyte) + -in ²; so called because such proteins act as agents of communication between different populations of leukocytes

Example Sentences

But uncovering the genes that go awry in FMF and related diseases pointed to specific causes for symptoms, such as surges in inflammation-promoting molecules like interleukin 1 and TNF-alpha.

From Science Magazine

But the good news for him was that there is a drug on the market — anakinra, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis — that blocks interleukin 1.

From New York Times

Mr. Stanavec had an extremely rare mutation in a gene, NLRP3, which helps direct cells to activate a protein, interleukin 1 beta, that is part of the immune response to infections.

From New York Times

Some research suggests that body fat ups the number of proteins in the brain that trigger a cascade of events that predispose someone to the disease, and other research in mice has suggested that fat cells release a substance called interleukin 1, which can cause severe inflammation and, in turn, gunk up the brain.

From Time

After recovery, these slenderized mice showed almost no interleukin 1 in their bloodstreams and, Algernon-like, soon were acing cognitive tests that had stumped them before surgery.

From New York Times