noun
- A substance or agent that causes the destruction or lysis of cells, especially red blood cells.
Usage: technical; biology; medicine
Examples
- The cytolysin produced by the bacterium damaged the cell membranes of the host organism.
- Researchers studied how the cytolysin interacted with red blood cells in vitro.
- Certain toxins function as cytolysins by creating pores in cell membranes.
- The immune system's complement proteins can act as cytolysins against pathogens.
- Scientists isolated the cytolysin to understand its mechanism of cellular destruction.