opsonin

American  

[op-suh-nin] / ˈɒp sə nɪn /

noun

Immunology.

1. a constituent of normal or immune blood serum that makes invading bacteria more susceptible to the destructive action of the phagocytes.

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opsonin British  

/ ɒpˈsɒnɪk, ˈɒpsənɪn /

noun

1. a constituent of blood serum that renders invading bacteria more susceptible to ingestion by phagocytes in the serum

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Other Word Forms

• opsonic adjective
• opsonoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of opsonin

1900–05; < Latin opsōn ( ium ) victuals (< Greek opsōnía, derivative of opsōneîn to buy provisions) + -in ²

Example Sentences

A clathrin coating enhances phagocytosis, whereas opsonin reverses the process of phagocytosis.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

By the time this preface is in print the kaleidoscope may have had another shake; and opsonin may have gone the way of phlogiston at the hands of its own restless discoverer.

From The Doctor's Dilemma: Preface on Doctors by Shaw, Bernard

The "opsonin," or "relish," is something exuded into or produced in the blood fluid when the attacking microbe arrives.

From More Science From an Easy Chair by Lankester, E. Ray (Edwin Ray), Sir

In the method for demonstrating opsonin about to be described, a comparison is made between the opsonic "power" of the pooled serum and the specific serum.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

But outside myself and the handful of men I am training at St Anne's, there is nobody as yet who has mastered the opsonin treatment.

From The Doctor's Dilemma by Shaw, Bernard