thromboxane

[throm-bok-seyn]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a compound, C 20 H 32 O 5 , formed in blood platelets, that constricts blood vessels and promotes clotting.

Word History and Origins

Origin of thromboxane¹

1935–40; thromb- ( def. ) + ox- + -ane

Example Sentences

Activated platelets produce a compound called thromboxane, which causes them to become sticky and recruits neighboring platelets to form a mesh, which ultimately becomes a blood clot.

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Aspirin blocks an enzyme within platelets that makes thromboxane.

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NSAIDs reduce pain and inflammation by preventing the production of prostaglandins and thromboxane, chemical compounds that cause blood vessels to constrict.

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Prostaglandins and thromboxane are synthesized from a fatty substance in the brain and muscle tissue that is involved in cellular repair.

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Antiplatelets such as aspirin, dipyridamole, ticlopidine and clopidogrel prevent clotting by blocking thromboxane, a chemical that rounds up clotting cells in the blood.

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