erythropoietin

[ih-rith-roh-poi-i-tn, -poi-eet-n]

noun

Biochemistry. a hormone that stimulates production of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the bone marrow, released in response to low levels of oxygen in the tissues.

a synthetic form of this hormone, used as a performance-enhancing drug.

Origin of erythropoietin

First recorded in 1945–50; erythropoiet(ic) + -in²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for erythropoietin

erythropoietin

noun

a hormone, secreted by the kidney in response to low levels of oxygen in the tissues, that increases the rate of erythropoiesis. It has been used as a performance-enhancing drug for athletes and racehorsesAbbreviation: EPO

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

erythropoietin in Medicine

erythropoietin

[ĭ-rĭth′rō-poi-ē′tĭn]

n.

A glycoprotein hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells by bone marrow.

Epoetin alfa.

erythropoietin in Science

erythropoietin

[ĭ-rĭth′rō-poi-ē′tĭn]

A glycoprotein hormone, secreted mostly by the kidneys in adults and the liver in children, that stimulates stem cells in the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.