lysozyme

Thân thiện

A child's tears contain lysozyme to help protect their eyes.

Definition

Noun: * An enzyme found in saliva, sweat, and tears that destroys the cell walls of certain bacteria. Lysozyme is a natural antibacterial agent that acts as part of the body's innate immune system by breaking down the peptidoglycan layer in the cell walls of many gram-positive bacteria.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Human tears contain lysozyme to protect the eyes from bacterial infection.
  • The lysozyme in saliva helps to control the bacterial population in the mouth.
  • Researchers studied the effectiveness of lysozyme against various pathogens.

Advanced Usage

• "Lysozyme activity": Refers to the measurable function or potency of the enzyme in breaking down bacterial cell walls.
  • The test measured the lysozyme activity in the different samples.
• Used in scientific and medical contexts related to immunology, microbiology, and biochemistry.

Variants and Related Words

• Muramidase (n): A technical synonym for lysozyme, referring to its specific action on muramic acid in bacterial cell walls.

Synonyms

• Muramidase: The systematic name for the enzyme.
• Antibacterial enzyme: A descriptive term for its function.

Notes on Meaning

This word has a single, specific scientific meaning. It does not have common idioms or phrasal verbs associated with it, as it is a technical term used primarily in biology and medicine.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an enzyme found in saliva and sweat and tears that destroys the cell walls of certain bacteria

Từ đồng nghĩa

• muramidase