A small membrane-bound organelle that contains enzymes for breaking down fatty acids and detoxifying harmful substances, particularly hydrogen peroxide. They play crucial roles in lipid metabolism and cellular detoxification.
From 'peroxide' (the hydrogen peroxide they help break down) and Greek 'soma' (body). Discovered by Belgian cytologist Christian de Duve in the 1960s, initially called 'microbodies' before their peroxide-metabolizing function was understood.
Peroxisomes are the cell's hazmat cleanup crew! They're especially abundant in liver cells where they work overtime to detoxify alcohol and other poisons, literally sacrificing themselves to protect the rest of the cell from toxic damage.
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