reductase

American

[ri-duhk-tays, -tayz] / rɪˈdʌk teɪs, -teɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

any enzyme acting as a reducing agent.

reductase British

/ rɪˈdʌkteɪz /

noun

any enzyme that catalyses a biochemical reduction reaction

"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

Etymology

Origin of reductase

First recorded in 1900–05; reduct(ion) + -ase

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

reductase

Cells normally accomplish this through what is known as a disulfide reductase system.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

This chemically reactive form was then tailored to interact with an enzyme abundant in cancer cells, known as thioredoxin reductase.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024

They found that the vast majority of bacteria had little to no reductase enzymes, but certain groups of bacteria expressed dozens to hundreds of these enzymes.

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024

People with a condition called 5-alpha reductase deficiency have a genetic mutation that leads them to produce low levels of DHT.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 29, 2018

These compounds are inhibitors of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which is the enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol from lipids in the body.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023