elastase

American

[ih-las-teys, -taz] / ɪˈlæs teɪs, -tæz /

noun

Biochemistry.

a pancreatic protease that catalyzes the hydrolysis of elastin and other related proteins to polypeptides and amino acids.

elastase British

/ ɪˈlæsteɪs /

noun

an enzyme that digests elastin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of elastase

First recorded in 1945–50; elast(in) + -ase

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

elastase

Trypsin, elastase, and chymotrypsin break proteins into peptides.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

In the duodenum, other enzymes—trypsin, elastase, and chymotrypsin—act on the peptides reducing them to smaller peptides.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Sawas focused on the two abnormalities of the work-up — the inflammation of the small intestine and the low elastase.

From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2022

The only abnormality he could find was a low level of a digestive protein called elastase in the man’s stool.

From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2022

The pancreas releases most of the digestive enzymes, including the proteases trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase, which aid protein digestion.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023