leukotriene

[ loo-kuh-trahy-een ]

nounBiochemistry.
  1. a lipid, C20H30O3, produced by white blood cells in an immune response to antigens, that contributes to allergic asthma and inflammatory reactions.

Origin of leukotriene

1
First recorded in 1975–80; leuko- + triene

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British Dictionary definitions for leukotriene

leukotriene

/ (ˌluːkəʊˈtraɪiːn) /


noun
  1. one of a class of products of metabolic conversion of arachidonic acid; the active constituents of slow-reacting substance, responsible for bronchial constriction, contraction of smooth muscle, and inflammatory processes

Origin of leukotriene

1
C20: from leukocyte, in which they were discovered + triene from the conjugated triene unit that they contain

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