Meaning & use
paracrine
Last updated
Relating to a form of cell signaling in which a cell releases a substance that affects nearby cells, rather than distant ones.
See it in a sentence
Paracrine signaling allows a wound's cells to quickly recruit nearby cells for repair.
Researchers studied the paracrine effects of stem cells on surrounding tissue.
A note on using this word
Contrasts with "endocrine" signaling, in which hormones travel through the bloodstream to affect distant cells; paracrine signals act only locally.
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