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

In the stomach, pepsin is produced to break down plant material.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

For example, trypsin, an enzyme in the human small intestine, works most efficiently at pH 8, whereas pepsin in the stomach works best under acidic conditions.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Hydrochloric acid helps to convert the inactive pepsinogen to 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