: any of a group of eicosanoids that participate in allergic responses (such as bronchial constriction)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe risk was lower in people who took a drug that blocked leukotrienes. Stacey Burling, Philly.com, 8 June 2018 The Temple researchers tried the drug because of their previous work on leukotrienes, inflammatory molecules that don’t work properly in Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia. Stacey Burling, Philly.com, 8 June 2018 Leukotrienes are similar to histamine, but 100 to 1,000 times more potent in the lung than a similar weight of histamine. Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, 21 June 2017 The scientists found that the drug prevented tissue injury and fluid buildup by blocking a protein called leukotriene B4 (LTB4). Amy Norton, chicagotribune.com, 11 May 2017
Word History
First Known Use
1979, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
leukotriene
noun
leu·ko·tri·ene ˌlü-kə-ˈtrī-ˌēn
: any of a group of eicosanoids that are generated in basophils, mast cells, macrophages, and human lung tissue by lipoxygenase-catalyzed oxygenation especially of arachidonic acid and that participate in allergic responses (as bronchoconstriction in asthma) see slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis