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

Opsonin stabilizes the inward facing surface of the plasma membrane, which engulfs the antigen, whereas clathrin marks the antigen for phagocytosis by neutrophils.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Opsonin marks the antigen for phagocytosis by neutrophils, whereas clathrin stabilizes the inward facing surface of the plasma membrane, which engulfs the antigen.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Opsonin is what you butter the disease germs with to make your white blood corpuscles eat them.

From The Doctor's Dilemma by Shaw, Bernard