Pepsin Secretion Dynamics in Gastric Physiology
Summary
Pepsin is the principal proteolytic enzyme in the human stomach, secreted as the inactive zymogen pepsinogen by specialised chief cells. Upon exposure to the acidic milieu generated by parietal cell-derived hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen undergoes a conformational change and autoproteolytic activation to yield active pepsin. Secretion dynamics are orchestrated by neural, hormonal and paracrine pathways: vagal stimulation during cephalic and gastric phases enhances pepsinogen release, gastrin and histamine synergise to amplify acid and enzyme output, and somatostatin provides inhibitory feedback. Circadian rhythms and meal patterns further modulate basal versus stimulated secretion, optimising protein digestion and preserving mucosal defence. Disruption of these regulatory networks contributes to clinical conditions ranging from peptic ulceration to atrophic gastritis, underscoring the importance of elucidating pepsin secretion kinetics and their integration with gastric physiology.
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Pepsin Secretion Dynamics in Gastric Physiology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pepsin secretion dynamics in gastric physiology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Pepsinogen: the inactive precursor of the proteolytic enzyme pepsin, secreted by gastric chief cells.
Zymogen: an enzyme precursor that requires structural modification to become catalytically active.
Chief Cells: specialised gastric epithelial cells responsible for synthesis and secretion of pepsinogen.
Gastrin: a peptide hormone that stimulates gastric acid and pepsinogen secretion by acting on parietal and enterochromaffin-like cells.
Radioimmunoassay: a sensitive analytical method using radiolabelled antibodies to measure low concentrations of specific proteins such as pepsinogen.
References
- Purification and Properties of a Zymogen from Human Gastric Mucosa. Journal of Biological Chemistry (1963).
- Primary structure of human pepsinogen gene.. Journal of Biological Chemistry (1983).
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