Library / English Dictionary

NEUROTOXIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any toxin that affects neural tissues

Synonyms:

neurolysin; neurotoxin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("neurotoxin" is a kind of...):

toxin (a poisonous substance produced during the metabolism and growth of certain microorganisms and some higher plant and animal species)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "neurotoxin"):

botulinum toxin (any of several neurotoxins that are produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum; causes muscle paralysis)

domoic acid (a neurotoxin that is deadly for humans; found in various marine algae)

saxitoxin (a powerful neurotoxin produced by certain dinoflagellates found in red tides; it can accumulate in mollusks that feed on the dinoflagellates and cause food poisoning to humans)

kokoi venom (a potent neurotoxin found in a particular frog)

tetrodotoxin (a powerful neurotoxin found in the ovaries of pufferfish)

Derivation:

neurotoxic (poisonous to nerves or nerve cells)

Credits

 Context examples: 

GDNF is processed to a mature secreted form, which occurs as a homodimer that promotes the survival and differentiation of dopaminergic neurons, can rescue motor neurons from programmed cell death, and protects cells from the neurotoxin MPTP.

(Glial Cell Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor, NCI Thesaurus)

In vivo, caracemide contributes to the formation of the neurotoxin methyl isocyanate; this effect, along with the agent's acetylcholinesterase activity, may be responsible for the severe central nervous system toxicity observed in clinical trials.

(Caracemide, NCI Thesaurus)