pepsin

American  

[pep-sin] / ˈpɛp sɪn /

Or pepsine

noun

Biochemistry.

1. an enzyme, produced in the stomach, that in the presence of hydrochloric acid splits proteins into proteoses and peptones.

2. a commercial form of this substance, obtained from the stomachs of hogs, used as a digestive, as a ferment in the manufacture of cheese, etc.

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pepsin British  

/ ˈpɛpsɪn /

noun

1. a proteolytic enzyme produced in the stomach in the inactive form pepsinogen, which, when activated by acid, splits proteins into peptones

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pepsin Scientific  

/ pĕp′sĭn /

1. Any of various digestive enzymes found in vertebrate animals that catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins to peptides.

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Etymology

Origin of pepsin

1835–45; < Greek péps ( is ) digestion ( pep-, base of péptein to digest + -sis -sis ) + -in ²

Example Sentences

When digesting protein and some fats, the stomach lining must be protected from getting digested by pepsin.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

First, as previously mentioned, the enzyme pepsin is synthesized in the inactive form.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Protein digestion is mediated by an enzyme called pepsin in the stomach chamber.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Pepsin breaks peptide bonds and cleaves proteins into smaller polypeptides; it also helps activate more pepsinogen, starting a positive feedback mechanism that generates more pepsin.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The soft drink had been named for the digestive enzyme pepsin, he sagely told us, and so was suited to the task.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides