resorber

A resorber is an agent, cell, or substance that causes resorption, the process of breaking down or absorbing material, tissue, or a structure. The term derives from resorbere, Latin for to swallow back or absorb again, and is used across biology, medicine, and materials science to describe entities that perform resorption.

In biology and medicine, resorption is most often discussed in the context of tissue remodeling. Bone resorption is carried out by osteoclasts, large multinucleated cells that dissolve mineralized bone matrix and release its constituents. In dentistry, resorption can affect teeth and supporting tissues; odontoclasts can resorb dentin or cementum, a phenomenon known as root resorption. Physiologic resorption occurs during normal development, such as tooth eruption, while pathologic resorption may accompany disease or injury.

Outside of biology, the concept of a resorber appears in materials science and biotechnology. In these fields, resorption describes the uptake or dissolution of substances by a material or by bodily tissues. Resorbable implants and scaffolds are designed to be gradually degraded and absorbed by the body over time, eliminating the need for removal. In porous or absorbent materials, resorption can refer to the uptake of liquids or gases into the material’s structure, a property exploited in filtration, drug delivery, and environmental applications.

Overall, a resorber denotes anything that effectually initiates or participates in resorption, whether as a cellular agent in living tissue or as a material/process in engineered systems.