interleukin

British  

/ ˌɪntəˈluːkɪn /

noun

1. a substance extracted from white blood cells that stimulates their activity against infection and may be used to combat some forms of cancer

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interleukin Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-lo̅o̅′kĭn /

1. Any of a class of cytokines that act to stimulate, regulate, or modulate lymphocytes such as T cells. Interleukin-1, which has two subtypes, is released by macrophages and certain other cells, and regulates cell-mediated and humoral immunity. It induces the production of interleukin-2 by helper T cells and also acts as a pyrogen. Interleukin-2 stimulates the proliferation of helper T cells, stimulates B cell growth and differentiation, and has been used experimentally to treat cancer. Interleukin-3 is released by mast cells and helper T cells in response to an antigen and stimulates the growth of blood stem cells and lymphoid cells such as macrophages and mast cells. There are many other interleukins that are part of the immune system.

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Example Sentences

Old laboratory mice often die from cancer, however, the mice lacking interleukin-11 had far lower levels of the disease.

From BBC

She said she hopes the team's identification of interleukin-15 as a causative link will jump start research into treatment.

From Science Daily

The technique does seem to increase epinephrine, causing an increase in a substance in the body called interleukin-10, which can reduce inflammation, said Omar Almahayni, of the University of Warwick in the U.K.

From Salon

Critically, a subset of both groups contained a unique mutation in a gene for the receptor for cellular signaling proteins called interleukin 4 and interleukin 13.

From Science Daily

Nor did inflammatory chemicals called interleukins, or white cells, which are activated during allergic reactions and are also known to be elevated in skin diseases and even in certain neurologic disorders.

From Science Daily