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Glite Dictionary
ptyalin

ptyalin

9.8
A substance in saliva that breaks starch into sugar when you eat
  • noun
  • /ˈtaɪ.ə.lɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ptialina
  • Natural aging brings about significant changes in the composition and mixture of saliva, primarily a decrease in ptyalin and an increase in mucin.

Examples

  • As the amount of ptyalin decreases and mucin increases, saliva can become thick and viscous and present problems for the elderly.

    Academic text (1999)

  • A decrease in ptyalin production can affect the body's ability to digest carbohydrates effectively.

  • Ptyalin is an enzyme in saliva that begins the digestion of starches into ptyalin sugars.

  • During the digestion process, ptyalin plays a crucial role in breaking down food.

Synonyms

amylase
vsptyalin
  • Specialized
4 5.4

An enzyme in saliva and the pancreas that breaks starch into sugar

is restricted to the mouth enzyme rather than including pancreatic sources

Surface Forms

ptyalin singular
ptyalins plural

Morphology

ptyalin = ptyal + in

The combining form 'ptyal-' and the technical protein suffix '-in' are not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts.

Etymology

Ptyalin comes from an old Greek root ptyal- meaning 'spit' or 'saliva', so the name points to the mouth where it works. ptyalin is the enzyme in saliva that starts to break down starch into sugars as you chew.