somatostatin

noun

so·​mato·​stat·​in sō-ˌma-tə-ˈsta-tᵊn How to pronounce somatostatin (audio)
: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (such as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)

Examples of somatostatin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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These peptides specifically bind to target receptors on cancer cells — PSMA in the case of prostate cancer, and somatostatin receptors in the case of Lutathera — and deliver radiation through the decay of unstable lutetium. Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024 These peptides specifically bind to target receptors on cancer cells—PSMA in the case of prostate cancer and somatostatin receptors in the case of Lutathera—and deliver radiation through the decay of unstable lutetium. Elie Dolgin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2024 The researcher studied the pituitary gland under the late Wylie Vale at Salk which was home to Roger Guillemin, who won a Nobel Prize in 1977 for discoveries that led to research on brain hormones such as somatostatin. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023 Two other hormones also play a role in regulating blood sugar — somatostatin and glucagon — and little was known then about how they are produced. Gina Kolata, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 Relatively high levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone could increase the sensitivity of tuberal somatostatin activity, although other genetic variations could also play a role. Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021 That’s thanks to elevated levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin, which partially activates tuberal somatostatin neurons, explains lead study author Yu Fu. Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021 Within a year of conquering somatostatin in 1977, Riggs’s group did the same with human insulin. Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022 Among its functions, somatostatin inhibits production of insulin and growth hormone, and slows digestion. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

somat- + Latin status (past participle of sistere to halt, cause to stand) + English -in entry 1; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of somatostatin was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near somatostatin

Cite this Entry

“Somatostatin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somatostatin. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

somatostatin

noun
so·​mato·​stat·​in sō-ˌmat-ə-ˈstat-ᵊn How to pronounce somatostatin (audio)
: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus, is composed of a chain of 14 amino acid residues, and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)

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