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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

somatostatin

The injectable drug mimics the body’s somatostatin hormone to treat disorders like slow-growing tumors and the overproduction of growth hormones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

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

Led by Dr. Riggs, the researchers sought to develop a synthetic gene called somatostatin, a mammalian hormone.

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

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