interstitieller

Interstitieller is a German adjective that relates to the interstitium, the space between cells, fibers, or grains within a tissue, organ, or material. The word derives from the Latin interstitium, meaning “place between.”

In biology and medicine, the interstitium denotes the network of spaces and the extracellular matrix surrounding cells. The interstitieller Raum houses interstitial fluid, which bathes cells, enables nutrient and waste exchange, and participates in signaling processes. The term is used to describe conditions or structures associated with this space, such as interstitielle Gewebe/Interstitium, interstitielle Flüssigkeit and pathologies that affect it. Interstitial edema refers to fluid accumulation in the interstitial spaces, while interstitielle Lungenerkrankungen (interstitial lung diseases) describe a group of disorders that primarily affect the lung interstitium. Interstitielle Nephritis denotes inflammation of the kidney interstitium, and interstitielle Fibrose refers to scarring of the interstitial tissue.

Outside of medicine, interstitiel is used in materials science and geology to describe phenomena occurring in interstices. In crystallography, interstitieller Lösungsmittel oder interstitielle Festkörperlösungen describe small atoms occupying interstitial sites in a crystal lattice (for example carbon in iron forming steel). In soils and sedimentology, interstitielle Porenräume are the small voids between grains that hold fluids and contribute to porosity and permeability.

Overall, interstitieller is a terminology adopted across disciplines to denote anything located in or affecting the interstitium—the network of spaces and supporting matrix that separate the primary structural units of tissues or materials.