agonist

(ag′ŏ-nist )

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[Gr. agōn, contest, struggle + -ist ]

1. The muscle that directly produces a specific action. When bending the elbow, the distal biceps brachii tendon is the agonist and the triceps muscle the antagonist.
SYN: SEE: agonist muscle
2. In pharmacology, a drug that binds to the receptor and stimulates its function.

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