- lipochrome
- 1. A pigmented lipid, e.g., lutein, carotene. SYN: chromolipid. 2. A term sometimes used to designate the wear-and-tear pigments, e.g., lipofuscin, hemofuscin, ceroid. More precisely, lipochromes are yellow pigments that seem to be identical to carotene and xanthophyll and are frequently found in the serum, skin, adrenal cortex, corpus luteum, and arteriosclerotic plaques, as well as in the liver, spleen, and adipose tissue; lipochromes do not stain with the ordinary dyes for fat. 3. The pigment produced by certain bacteria. [lipo- + G. chroma, color]
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li·po·chrome 'lip-ə-.krōm, 'līp- n any of the naturally occurring pigments soluble in fats or in solvents for fats esp CAROTENOID* * *
n.a pigment that is soluble in fat and therefore gives colour to fatty materials. An example is carotene, the pigment responsible for the colour of egg yolks and butter.* * *
lipo·chrome (lipґo-krōm) [lipo- + -chrome] any of a group of fat-soluble pigments, including carotene, lutein, lycopene, and xanthophyll, that are synthesized in plants and on ingestion impart a yellow, yellow-orange, or orange-red color to lipid-containing tissues. Called also carotenoid, lipochrome pigment, lipofuscin, and wear and tear pigment.
Medical dictionary. 2011.