Glossary

Category: L

  • Lactation

    Lactation

    Secretion and production of milk. The process of synthesising and secreting milk from the breasts. Production and secretion of milk by female mammary glands. The formation and secretion of milk. The production of milk in the breasts of the female shortly before and after the birth of a baby, colostrum. The production of milk in…

  • Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)

    Enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of lactate to pyruvate. An enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of lactate. It is found in a variety of tissues (lung, kidney, heart, liver, blood) in slightly different forms called isoenzymes. Detection of these isoenzymes in the bloodstream is used in the diagnosis and management of a variety of illnesses.…

  • Lactagogue

    An agent that increases or stimulates milk flow or production. Also called a galactagogue. An agent that induces the secretion and flow of milk. A substance that prompts the breasts to produce milk.  

  • Labour

    Process of childbirth involving muscular contractions. Childbirth, especially the contractions in the uterus which take place during childbirth.  

  • L-Dopa (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine)

    Is an amino acid that is formed in the liver and converted into dopamine in the brain.  

  • Lysozyme

    The cationic low molecular weight enzyme present in tears, saliva, and nasal secretion that functions as an antibacterial hydrolase by catalyzing the hydrolysis of specific glycosidic linkages in the cell wall of susceptible bacteria. An enzyme present in tears and body secretions and fluids that helps in the destruction of bacterial cell walls. An enzyme,…

  • Lysosomes

    Intracellular cytoplasmic vesicles filled with hydrolytic enzymes; especially prominent in phagocytic cells such as polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages. Are small, spherical organelles containing digestive enzymes (acid hydrolases and other proteases (cathepsins)). A membrane-surrounded organelle in the cytoplasm of eucaryotic cells which contains many hydrolytic enzymes. The lysosome internalizes and digests foreign proteins as well as…

  • Lysis

    The process of cell dissolution; the action of a lysin. The killing of a cell via destruction of the cell membrane. The process of cell disintegration; membrane rupturing; breaking up the cell wall. Destruction of red blood cells, bacteria, and other structures. The destruction of bacteria by a bacteriophage. The destruction of a cell by…

  • Lyophilization

    Creation of a stable preparation of a biologic substance (e.g., blood plasma, serum) by rapid freezing followed by dehydration under high vacuum. The process of removing water from a frozen biomaterial (e.g., a microbial culture or an aqueous protein solution) via application of a vacuum. It is a drying method for long-term preservation of proteins…

  • Lymphotoxin

    A lymphokine that results in direct cytolysis following its release from stimulated lymphocytes; also termed tumor necrosis factor beta.