interleukin
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in·ter·leu·kin
(ĭn′tər-lo͞o′kĭn)n.
Any of various small proteins that are produced by a variety of cell types, especially T cells and other white blood cells, and that regulate many aspects of inflammation and the immune response, including stimulating the production of white blood cells and platelets.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
interleukin
(ˌɪntəˈluːkɪn)n
(Biochemistry) a substance extracted from white blood cells that stimulates their activity against infection and may be used to combat some forms of cancer
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
in•ter•leu•kin
(ˈɪn tərˌlu kɪn)n.
any of a family of small proteins that participate in the body's defense system, esp. by promoting the growth and activation of white blood cells.
[1979; inter- + leuk (ocyte) + -in1; so called because such proteins act as agents of communication between different populations of leukocytes]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | interleukin - any of several lymphokines that promote macrophages and killer T cells and B cells and other components of the immune system lymphokine - a cytokine secreted by helper T cells in response to stimulation by antigens and that acts on other cells of the immune system (as by activating macrophages) |
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