somatostatin

American  

[suh-mat-uh-stat-n, soh-muh-tuh-] / səˌmæt əˈstæt n, ˌsoʊ mə tə- /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a polypeptide hormone, produced in the brain and pancreas, that inhibits secretion of somatotropin from the hypothalamus and inhibits insulin production by the pancreas.

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somatostatin British  

/ ˌsəʊmətəˈstætɪn /

noun

1. a peptide hormone that prevents the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland

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somatostatin Scientific  

/ sō-măt′ə-stăt′n,sō′mə-tə- /

1. A polypeptide produced by the hypothalamus and the pancreas. Somatostatin produced by the hypothalamus acts as a neurohormone that inhibits the secretion of other hormones, especially growth hormone and thyrotropin. Somatostatin secreted by the pancreas acts as a hormone that inhibits the secretion of the other pancreatic hormones, insulin and glucagon, and reduces the activity of the digestive system.

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Etymology

Origin of somatostatin

First recorded in 1970–75; somato(tropin) + stat-, extracted from derivative nouns of Latin stāre “to stand, stand up, be standing” + -in noun suffix; see stand, -in ²

Example Sentences

The research team discovered that two somatostatin receptors, SST1 and SST4, work together to control neprilysin levels in the hippocampus, a region essential for memory.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

Insulin was a more complex hormone, with 51 proteins and two polypeptide chains that had to be connected, but the scientists simply applied the technique they had already developed for somatostatin.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2022

West, M. J., Ostergaard, K., Andreassen, O. A. & Finsen, B. Estimation of the number of somatostatin neurons in the striatum: an in situ hybridization study using the optical fractionator method.

From Nature • Oct. 31, 2017

The pancreatic islet cell types include alpha cells, which produce glucagon; beta cells, which produce insulin; delta cells, which produce somatostatin; and PP cells, which produce pancreatic polypeptide.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Naturally occurring small molecules which bind to GPCRs include adrenaline, prostaglandins, dopamine, somatostatin and adenosine.

From Scientific American • Oct. 10, 2012