pinocytosis

American  

[pin-uh-sahy-toh-sis, pahy-nuh-] / ˌpɪn ə saɪˈtoʊ sɪs, ˌpaɪ nə- /

noun

Physiology.

1. the transport of fluid into a cell by means of local infoldings by the cell membrane so that a tiny vesicle or sac forms around each droplet, which is then taken into the interior of the cytoplasm.

   Some drugs, such as penicillin, are unable to cross biological barriers unless they make use of carrier proteins or are taken across by pinocytosis.

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Other Word Forms

• pinocytotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of pinocytosis

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Greek pín(ein) “to drink” + -o- + -cyte + -osis, on the model of phagocytosis

Compare meaning

How does pinocytosis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• phagocytosis vs. pinocytosis

Example Sentences

Microglia can remove such waste from the parenchyma through specialized endocytic processes called phagocytosis and pinocytosis, and the uptake of amyloid-β by microglia seems to be an important means of amyloid-β-aggregate degradation.

From Nature