Pepsinogen

Pepsinogen is an inactive form of pepsin that is produced by cells in the lining of the stomach. Pepsinogen is secreted into the lumen of the stomach, where under the influence of hydrochloric acid it is converted into active pepsin.

Pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down proteins in the acidic environment of the stomach. It plays an important role in the digestive process, participating in the hydrolysis of proteins into peptides and amino acids.

Pepsinogen and pepsin are important components of the human digestive system. Disturbances in their production and activity can lead to the development of a number of diseases of the stomach and intestines.

Introduction Peptinogen is a low molecular weight glycoprotein that stimulates the synthesis of pepsin from its precursor, propepsin. Propepsin is the pepsinogenic form of pepsinogen, which precedes the active protein and is the main informative marker of gastric acidity.

Pepsin is synthesized in the cells of the stomach by special cells - parietal cells, where it is secreted from the granules of the main intrinsic factor. Thus, the precursor protein of pepsinogens is normally secreted, which is then converted by autodigestion into the main pepsin of gastric juice - HCl. If, under the influence of hydrochloric acid produced by the liver (gallbladder), pepsin cannot be activated, then it is in an inactive state - pepsinol; this protects the gastric epithelium from the action of pepsin itself (on the cell surface). Proteolysis by pepsin undergoes numerous modifications during its existence. The function of pepsinogenosis is to stimulate the synthesis of mature pepsino. Physiological role: promotes the activation of gastrinogenic cells (baroreflex function), plays a protective role against acid-adrenergic effects (self-defense mechanism), is an inducer of the development of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the gastroduodenal zone. It is a standard test indicator of stomach acid production. The main endogenous stimulator of the synthesis and secretion of pepsinogen requires a sufficient supply of amino acids to the human body - tryptophan, histidine and arginine. With a deficiency of these ingredients in the diet, the stimulating activity of pepsinopepsinogens decreases, which negatively affects the functioning of the human gastrointestinal tract. Another important factor is the decrease in the protective properties of hydrochloric acid during long-term treatment with proton pump inhibitors (even at very small doses). This explains the fact that the level of pepsinogenic activity remains normal at high acidity and, conversely, with long-term reduced acidity of gastric secretions, disturbances are observed: a decrease in the level of pepsinogenesis in the cells of the stomach and the activation of the last remaining pepsin (if the causes of its activation are eliminated). Stimulation of the synthesis and release of proenzymes occurs during the development or presence of gastritis (including during an exacerbation). Activation of the proenzyme begins when the minimum acidity of the gastrointestinal tract is reached (pH 3-4) and is due to the morphological “excitability” of the vagus nerve and an increase in the availability of easily accessible components (tryptophan, nicotinic acid, etc.). Based on the study, it is advisable to use proenzymes for diagnostic purposes in gastritis (biochemical interpretation of the results), to assess the severity of the inflammatory process and the stimulus of regeneration occurring against the background of the liver and other diseases, mainly chronic cholecystitis,