Digestive Enzymes and Hormones

Introduction

Digestive enzymes aid in the breakdown of complex food items into simpler molecules that the body can absorb. Distinct sections of the alimentary canal create different digestive enzymes that help digest different food components. Saliva, for example, produces salivary amylase, which digests starch. Gastric glands in the stomach create pepsin, which aids protein digestion. Other enzymes, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin, aid in protein digestion.

Functions of Enzymes in the Digestive System

Without the help of digestive enzymes, chemical digestion would be impossible. An enzyme is a protein that helps the body speed up chemical reactions. Digestive enzymes speed up chemical reactions that break down large food molecules into little molecules.

Have you ever had to tighten a bolt with a wrench? You could tighten a bolt with your fingers, but it would be tough and slow. You can tighten a bolt much more easily and fast with a wrench. Enzymes can be compared to wrenches. Chemical reactions are made considerably easier and faster as a result of them. Enzymes, like a wrench, can be reused multiple times. However, to effectively tighten the bolt, you’ll need the right size and shape wrench, just as each enzyme is tailored to the reaction it aids.

Digestive enzymes are secreted or released by the digestive system’s organs. Proteases and nucleases are two types of enzymes that degrade proteins and nucleic acids, respectively. 

Digestive Enzymes 

Amylase

• Amylase is a digestive enzyme that is produced in the mouth
• It aids in the decomposition of big starch molecules into smaller sugar molecules

Pepsin

• Pepsin is a digestive enzyme that is produced in the stomach
• Pepsin is a digestive enzyme that aids in the breakdown of proteins into amino acids

Trypsin

• The pancreas produces trypsin
• Proteins are also broken down by trypsin

Lipase

• The pancreas produces pancreatic lipase
• It’s used to separate fats

Nucleases

• The pancreas produces deoxyribonuclease and ribonuclease
• Enzymes that break bonds in nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are known as nucleases

Bile

• Bile salts help the body in excreting toxic compounds like bilirubin
• The liver produces bile acids
• Bile is produced into the intestine when you finish a meal, where it breaks down the lipids
• Bile is created in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, and it aids in the emulsification of fats in the small intestine

• The liver produces bile, which is subsequently stored in the gallbladder before being released into the gut. It aids in the breakdown of fats

Digestive System

If you’re a typical adolescent, you enjoy eating. Your digestive and endocrine systems must function together to break down, absorb, and spread the nutrients from your meal throughout your body. The endocrine system sends hormones throughout your body to communicate between cells. Hormones are essentially chemical messenger molecules.

In the digestive system few organs are connected and these are our mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and anus and every organ has its own importance. So for the proper functioning of these organs- pancreas, gallbladder and liver are also included.

Hormones 

• Gastrointestinal-  Secreted by enteroendocrine cells in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine
• Pancreozymin-  Synthesized and secreted by enteroendocrine cells in the duodenum
• Gastrin- Stimulates secretion of gastric acid
• Ghrelin-Produced by enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract and when we are  hungry
• Somatostatin-A growth hormone
• Glucagon- A peptide hormone
• Pancreatic polypeptide- Impact on pancreas
• Neuropeptide- Found in the nervous system

Conclusion 

The function of digestive enzymes are very crucial. Digestive enzymes accelerate chemical digestion reactions. Hormones, which are chemical messengers that communicate between cells, play a crucial role in digestive enzymes indigestion.