erythropoietin

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

noun
  1. 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.

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

Origin of erythropoietin

1
First recorded in 1945–50; erythropoiet(ic) + -in2

Words Nearby erythropoietin

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British Dictionary definitions for erythropoietin

erythropoietin

/ (ɪˌrɪθrəʊpɔɪˈiːtɪn) /


noun
  1. 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 racehorses: Abbreviation: 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

Scientific definitions for erythropoietin

erythropoietin

[ ĭ-rĭth′rō-poi-ētĭn ]


  1. 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.

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