Definition of "cytotoxic" [cytotoxic]

Of, relating to, or producing a toxic effect on cells. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "cytotoxic" in a sentence

"The immune system, sensing trouble, then sends forth white blood cells called cytotoxic lymphocytes, or CTLs, to destroy the affected cells."
"CD8+ cells — also called cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) — matter because, among other actions, they kill cells that become infected with HIV."
"Yervoy works by blocking a protein on the surface of T cells, the soldiers of the immune system, called cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, or CTLA-4."

Words like "cytotoxic"

acute-phase

adjuvant anti-inflammatory

antigen-specific

antimicrobial antitumor apoptotic

cell-surface

chemotherapeutic

cytotoxic reaction

cytotoxic T cell

effector

first-line

immunosuppressive self-reactive suppressive