adrenoceptor
noun
ad·re·no·cep·tor
| \ ə-ˈdrē-nə-ˌsep-tər
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variants:
or adrenoreceptor \ ə-ˌdrē-nō-ri-ˈsep-tər, -ˌdren-ō-
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Medical Definition of adrenoceptor
: any of a group of receptors on cell surfaces that are activated by epinephrine or norepinephrine : an adrenergic receptor
Note: Adrenoceptors mediate certain physiological responses (such as vasodilation or vasoconstriction and smooth muscle relaxation or contraction) when bound by epinephrine or norepinephrine as part of the sympathetic nervous system.
They studied how norepinephrine stimulates beta-receptors, a class of adrenoceptors that mediates the release of cyclic adenosine monophosphate inside the nerve cell.— Elliot S. Gershon and Ronald O. Rieder, Scientific American, September 1992 Thus, in theory, adrenoreceptor agonists which are widely used in the management of obstructive airway diseases such as asthma may lead to mucus plugging of the airways. — Richard W. Costello, in Respiratory Infections in Allergy and Asthma, 2003