noun
- Plural of pycnosis; instances of the condensation and degeneration of a cell nucleus, typically occurring during cell death or apoptosis.
Usage: medical/biological term; technical
Examples
- Under the microscope, the researchers observed multiple pycnoses in the cancer cells treated with the drug.
- Pycnoses are characteristic features of apoptotic cell death.
- The pathologist identified several pycnoses in the tissue sample, indicating programmed cell death.
- During chemotherapy, pycnoses occur as tumor cells undergo apoptosis.