Elastin (Noun)
Meaning
A fibrous scleroprotein found in elastic tissues such as the walls of arteries.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- Elastin plays a crucial role in providing elasticity to the arterial walls, helping them to stretch and recoil with each heartbeat.
- The loss of elastin in the skin can cause wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity, as it is found in abundance in younger healthy skin.
- Elastin is not as abundant in the muscle layers of the aorta, but is present in the intima and adventitia, the innermost and outermost layers.
- Researchers are working on using elastin as a scaffold for engineering artificial elastic tissues for transplantation in cardiovascular diseases.
- The study of elastin biosynthesis and degradation can provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of several cardiovascular conditions.