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Glite Dictionary
pepsinogen

pepsinogen

9.9
A substance made in the stomach that changes into a chemical that helps digest proteins
  • noun
  • /ˌpɛp.sɪˈnoʊ.dʒən/
  • Specialized
: pepsinógeno
  • Pepsinogen is secreted by chief cells in the stomach lining and activated to pepsin by gastric acid.

Examples

  • Pepsinogen is activated to pepsin by hydrochloric acid during the digestive process.

  • Doctors may measure pepsinogen levels to assess stomach function and diagnose certain diseases.

  • Pepsinogen conversion to pepsin is a key step in the digestive process.

  • The stomach produces pepsinogen to aid digestion.

  • Many cells in the stomach lining secrete pepsinogen.

  • Pepsinogen is an important substance that the stomach lining secretes as a precursor to pepsin.

  • Pepsinogen levels can indicate how well the stomach is functioning during medical tests.

Surface Forms

pepsinogen singular
pepsinogens plural

Morphology

pepsinogen = pepsin (semi-transparent) = pepsin + ogen

The relation to 'pepsin' is clear, but the suffix '-ogen' is a specialised biochemical combining form meaning 'precursor' that general learners may not recognise.

Etymology

The word pepsinogen comes from pepsin, from a Greek word meaning 'digestion', and the ending -ogen, which means 'that which will become', like the English word 'generate'. So pepsinogen is the 'sleeping' or inactive form that becomes the active enzyme pepsin when stomach acid wakes it.